London, Sep 28 (IANS) Here’s a sample of some of the gossip and transfer rumours from England’s newspapers Friday about Premier League clubs:
Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov has increased his stake in Arsenal to over 22 percent and is still targeting a “blocking stake” of 25 percent. (Mirror)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says English football has lost its soul because of speculators buying the Premier League’s top clubs. (Sun)
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has performed a U-turn and pledged his full support to new Chelsea manager Avram Grant. (Express)
Abramovich has warned Grant not to slate referees in the way Jose Mourinho did. (Sun)
Mourinho left Chelsea after daring club owner Roman Abramovich to sack him in a chance meeting. (Independent)
Mourinho says he will not show his face at a football stadium until he is back in management. (Sun)
Mourinho’s return to Portugal Thursday brought his homeland to a standstill. (Mail)
Under-pressure Tottenham Hotspur manager Martin Jol says he is better than Mourinho. (Sun)
Russia and Spain are expected to join England in competition to host the 2018 World Cup. (Mail)
Sir Trevor Brooking believes West Ham striker Dean Ashton is the answer to England’s problems up front ahead of their Euro 2008 qualifiers. (Mirror)
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is disappointed with how 17 million-pound summer signing Anderson has performed since joining the club. (Guardian)
More than 20,000 Rangers fans will invade Barcelona for their UEFA Champions League game in November after tickets appeared on the internet. (Record)
Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry believes the club have their best chance in a decade of winning the Premiership title. (Express)
Sunderland manager Roy Keane is set to sign former Manchester City winger Kiki Musampa. (Sun)
Newcastle United want Bolton keeper Jussi Jasskelainen. (Sun)
Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson considered buying Michael Owen but was put off by his price tag, wages and injury record. (Mirror)
Aston Villa’s new 10 million-pound defender Curtis Davies admits his performance against Leicester on Wednesday was “not worthy of a pub team”. (Guardian)