Manchester City announced attacker Darius Vassell will be out for ten weeks with a knee injury.  Suffered during City’s Saturday friendly against AC Milan, the knee injury will see the veteran winger/striker in a brace for the next six weeks.

Vassell’s absence compounds problems manager Mark Hughes had been dealt by Jô’s Olympics sojourn and a thigh injury to Benjani Mwaruwari that will keep him out into the middle of next month.  With Brazil’s Olympics run expected to extend another two weeks, Hughes could be into the third week of the Premiership without any of his choice strikers.  He will also have to work with a patched roster for City’s UEFA Cup matches, which start Thursday against Danish club FC Midtjyliand.

Without his three top choices, 18-year-old Daniel Sturridge, who started in City’s UEFA Cup win over EB/Streymur of the Faroe Islands, will likely get the call.  The other striker spot, if Hughes elects to stay with a two striker formation, could go to one of Bulgarian Valeri Bojinov, forgotten Italian Rolando Bianchi, Ecuadorian Felipe Caicedo, or Welshman Ched Evans - the remaining strikers amongst the first team.  Those four combined for ten league starts for City last season, seven of which came from wantaway Bianchi, who finished out last term on loan in Italy.

Manchester City advanced to the second round of UEFA Cup qualifying after completing a 4-0 aggregate victory over Faroe Islands club EB/Streymur.  City advances with a 2-0 win in today’s second leg, played at Barnsley’s Oakwell.

Only a strong match from EB goaltender Rene Torgard kept the score within two.  Manchester City dominated the club from the small island-nation located between the British Isles and Iceland.  Torgard turned away three strong scoring chances from City before midfielder Martin Petrov broke through in the forty-eighth minute, with his second goal of the tie.  Darius Vassell (pictured) completed the match’s scoring in stoppage time.

EB were held without a shot on goal while Citeh put 17 of their 35 shots on net, controlling almost four-fifths of the possession.

City’s performance came despite being short on forwards, with Jô with the Brazilian national team and Benjani Mwaruwari, their starting striker at the end of last season, out with a long-term leg injury.  Darius Vassell started as one forward, teamming with 18-year-old Daniel Sturridge.

Despite these short-comings, Manchester City advances to the second UEFA Cup qualifying round.  They will find out their next opponent after tomorrow’s draw, which will determine who they play will over August 14 and August 28’s second round legs.

Aston Villa will also be drawn into the second round tomorrow after qualifying via Intertoto Cup.

Thursday’s second leg had to be played at Oakwell in Barnsley because of a scheduling conflict that saw Manchester City’s customary home ground, City of Manchester Stadium, previous scheduled with a Bon Jovi concert.

According to this report, the San Jose Earthquakes have reached an agreement with Darren Huckerby after trading with Toronto FC for his rights. Huckerby has been a target for San Jose and several other MLS clubs for several months now and will join San Jose when the transfer window opens for July 15th. The 32 year old had been in prolonged talks with Toronto FC but decided to join San Jose. Huckerby most recently played for Championship side Norwich City, after previous stints at both Manchester City and Leeds United. What do you think of the acquisition?

According to the clubs website, Toronto FC are currently in contract negotiations with both Darren Huckerby and Paul Dickov. Huckerby, who turn 32 several months ago, has most recently played with Championship side Norwich City and has been interested in a move to MLS for some time. The 35 year old Striker Paul Dickov was most recently under contract with Manchester City, although he spent 2008 on loan with Blackpool. The duo were in attendance at BMO Field as Toronto FC fell to the Vancouver WhiteCaps in a CONCACAF Champions League qualifier. What do you think? Would these be good acquisitions for TFC?

Manchester City today confirmed the signing of Brazilian striker Jô, completing a deal that had been rumored since the end of the Premiership.  The club and player agreed to personal terms on a four year deal, finalizing the move.

The club did not confirm the final value of the transfer but verified they had paid a club record to acquire the 21-year-old from CSKA Moscow.  Other sources have reported the fee to be as high as £19 million.

Jô becomes the first signing for new manager Mark Hughes, who expects his new striker to have an immediate impact.

“A lot has been said about him and there was a big expectation on him coming out of Brazil,” Hughes said on the club’s website.  “So with the success he’s had I think it’s a real coup that we’ve been able to bring him to the Club.”

Jô leaves CSKA Moscow having scored 44 goals in 77 games over three seasons.  He is likely to form a striking tandem with Benjani Mwaruwari, who scored fifteen goals last season between Portsmouth and Manchester City.

Manchester City also announced that goaltender Andreas Isaakson has completed his move to the Eredivisie and PSV Eindhoven.  Coming off starting for Sweden in Euro 2008, Isaksson had looked for a move that would get him back into a starting role.  City’s reported that the 26-year-old goalie had signed a four year deal with PSV.

The Mark Hughes-era at Manchester City will begin in two weeks when the Blues open UEFA Cup qualifying in the Faroe Islands.   Their opponent will be EB/Streymur of the Faroes’ Premier League.

EB/Streymur was formed in 1993 and has only been in the country’s top division for eight years.  They finished second in the Formuladeild last season and currently sit atop the league’s table.

Manchester City, the only Premiership side active at this point in the competition, is expected to have little problem in their away leg on July 17.  The match is currently scheduled to be played at Vio Margair, the EB/Streymur ground that has a capacity of 1,000.  The park sits between a car lot and a mountain.

The teams are discussing a switch to the 6,000-seat national stadium in Torshavn, the nation’s capital, where the Faroese Cup final is hosted each year.  The match could also be switched to the stadium in Toftir.

Despite the need to relocate, EB director Roland Hojsted said that Manchester City was his number one choice of opponent before the draw.  He joked when asked what City can expect from their trip, “They can expect to lose.”

The return leg of the tie has already been moved from City of Manchester Stadium to Barnsley FC’s Oakwell to accommodate a previously scheduled Bon Jovi concert.

City avoided match-ups with the six other British and Irish opponents in the draw, instead drawing a club from the small island nation located between Iceland, Norway, and the British Isles.  The Faroe Islands played host to countries such as France and Italy during qualifying for Euro 2008 and will now host Mark Hughes’s City debut.

Valencia striker and Spain international David Villa, the pre-Arshavin star of Euro 2008, has adjusted his Premiership aims to match his increased profile. Where he was once close to joining Juande Ramos at Tottenham, Villa is now linked with two of the league’s big four: Chelsea and Liverpool. The 26-year-old striker has admitted interest in both clubs, saying the sides “are both big clubs with lots of attraction.”

Chelsea’s place in the Villa conversation is obligatory. They are linked with every high-profile name in the transfer market. Liverpool, however, is the logical choice, with Rafa Benitez, Spain partner Fernando Torres, and a perceived need to add another threat in the attack.

The only problem with the Liverpool scenario is money. Benitez is still on a limited budget, and Villa would cost at least £20 million. There are, however, indications that Benitez’s financial limitations may be easing.

Reports surfaced last week that owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett are patching up the contentious relationship that overshadowed Liverpool’s season. Partly due to this infighting, Benitez’s transfer budget has remained static for the last year-and-a-half.  Meanwhile, player wages and transfer fees have increased with league revenues. This stalemate has contributed to the perception that Liverpool is falling behind the other big four Premier League clubs. While players like Gareth Barry and David Villa are linked with Anfield, Benitez has not been able to finalize any deals, insisting that he must sell players before he can buy.  This has fueled the speculation and urgency surrounding the transfers Xavi Alfonso and Peter Crouch, amongst other Liverpool players.

One of those other Liverpool players, John Arne Riise, has agreed on a move to AS Roma. Roma will give Liverpool around £4 million as a fee for the left back, whose departure from Anfield was guaranteed after the Champions League semifinals. In a class move, club owners and coaches used the Norwegian’s departure as an opportunity to remind Liverpool fans of Riise’s contributions to the club.

With the club owners making peace, more transfer funds may become available, but until the boardroom hatchets are fully buried, the sales of Alonso and Crouch - along with the sales of pieces like Riise - will be crucial to Benitez’s restocking the club.

The main bidder for Crouch, Portsmouth, has seen their £9 million bid rejected. Crouch, who is entering the last season of his deal, has told Rafa Benitez that he wants to move on.  The lanky strike is concerned about playing time with the club and his status on the England national team. Benitez’s move to a one striker, Torres-led attack last season saw Crouch relegated to the bench last season.  Crouch wishes to move to a club where he can have a consistent place among the starting XI.

While Liverpool’s tactical change could motivate Benitez to sell Crouch, increased transfer funds from the boardroom may allow Benitez to keep Crouch. Even if those funds aren’t made available, Benitez alues Crouch at closer to £15 million, a price Pompey boss Harry Redknapp will not meet.

With Crouch out of his reach, Redknapp has expressed interest in teammate Yossi Benayoun. Benayoun is also on Manchester City’s wishlist, though he says he has no interest in moving from Anfield. Should Benitez elect to sell the Israel international, Benayoun could fetch Liverpool up to £6 million.

In the meantime, Spain’s run to the Euro 2008 semifinals has hindered Juventus and Liverpool’s ability to finalize the Xavi Alonso transfer. Though he has said he wishes to concentrate on the European Championships, Alonso has spoken throughout the tournamen of his admiration for Juventus. Being Benitez’s most valuable player to sell, the midfielder is likely to go to Le Zebre shortly after Spain ends their run. The £14 to £16 million Benitez gets from the sale, combined with a few million pounds from Liverpool, will go into Martin O’Neill’s pocket at Aston Villa, ending the prolonged and now predictable Gareth Barry-to-Anfield saga.

The Alonso and Barry dominos are also affecting Liverpool’s play for Newcastle winger James Milner. Milner spent last season on loan to Aston Villa. Now returned to Newcastle, he does not fit with Kevin Keegan’s plans. As with Barry, Benitez and O’Neill are tussling over Milner, with the Aston Villa boss eager to reacquire the 22-year-old. If O’Neill is willing to pay the rumored £8 million he’s say to have offered Newcastle, Benitez will be priced out.

With the Barry negotiations dragging out, Liverpool back-up plans have started popping-up in the news. Midfielder Rafeal van der Vaart’s performance for Holland in Euro 2008 has seen his name linked to Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea. Speculation holds the Reds will jump into the Hamburg midfielder sweepstakes should Martin O’Neill continue to raise Barry’s price. Likewise, Blackburn midfielder David Bentley has seen his name attached to Anfield after handing in his transfer request last week.

Both of these names will disappear from Liverpool rumors if and when the Barry transfer is completed. Until some finality is reached in that negotiation, van der Vaart and Bentley will remain back-up plans for Benitez, who has targeted Barry all summer.

Another Liverpool back-up plan that’s emerged from Europe is Ivica Olic. The hyperactive Croatian forward, also playing for Hamburg in the Bundesliga, scored in his team’s group stage upset of Germany. He will be an option for Benitez should David Villa not come to Anfield. Olic has scored 21 goals in 48 games since moving to Hamburg from CSKA Moscow in January 2007. If he were to go to Liverpool, Olic and right wing Dirk Kuyt would combine to form the most active winger tandem in the league, sure to get under the skin of every back line in the Premiership.

David Moyes may want to keep Sven-Goran Eriksson on speed dial.  Given what Eriksson’s Manchester City side went through last season and the schedule Everton was handed on Monday, the Swede’s insight on how to manage expectations may be needed.

When Eriksson was recruited by Thaksin Shinawatra last summer, it was considered somewhat of a pedestrian hire. Even after the former England national team coach revitalized the club’s roster with a series of young players signed during the summer transfer season, nobody considered Manchester City likely compete for a UEFA Cup spot. But after a smashing start that saw City win their first three matches, not even a fourth round loss to Arsenal could temper the City fans’ excitement. Expectations born from derby wins over Manchester United are hard to cool.

When three months later Manchester City remained near the top of the table, finishing November winning ten of their 14 fixtures (losing only three), the stories of City’s miraculous turnaround were too big to manage.

Manchester City spent the rest of the campaign sliding down the table. They would finish ninth in the league, winning a UEFA Cup spot via Fair Play. Eriksson was fired at the end of the season despite a debut that is a success by any reasonable standard. But the expectations of a hot start built on a soft early schedule did him in.

Of the eleven matches Manchester City got points from in the season’s first three months, only one was against a team which would qualify for European football: their derby win over United. When City’s schedule evened out, the team found their level. Over the final 24 fixtures, Eriksson and City got twelve points from European bound teams, including a win at Old Trafford. Despite improving the rate at which he was getting results against the league’s best, Eriksson could not save his job.  He was unable to overcome new expectations.

Everton’s David Moyes is in no danger of suffering a similar fate. Entering his seventh full season with the Toffees, Moyes is one of the more respected managers in the league, coming off a season where his club pushed Liverpool for the league’s last Champions League spot before ultimately gaining the league’s only UEFA Cup spot that went to non-domestic cup winners (Fair Play excluded).  Everton returning to their level after a fast start would not cost Moyes his job.

After a successful 2007-08 season, expectations are reasonable for the Toffees. Fans expect the club to compete for a UEFA Cup spot.  They would love to continue to pressure (or even overtake) Liverpool, as they did last season.  There is a resigned yet optimistic realism about the state of the club. Still, after last year’s success, a Manchester City-esque start to the season would be just the thing to set these expectations ablaze - convincing fans of a club that finished fifth last season that a step into the league’s elite was about to happen.

Looking at the Premiership fixture list that came out Monday, Moyes and Everton can expect those expectations to be raised. No club has an easier start than Everton. They open up the season at home against Blackburn before visiting West Brom in Round 2, then returning home for Round 3 against Portsmouth.  The Toffees then go to Hull and  Stoke before returning home for the Merseyside derby against Liverpool on September 27.

Last year, Everton failed to get a point from Liverpool in their match, but if they can come into the Round 6 meeting with five victories to start the season, their confidence will never be higher. Thanks to two manageable home games and three road matches against the recently promoted, fifteen points in their first five matches is a reasonable result.

Odds are one of these teams will bite the Toffees, but Everton could also bite Liverpool.  If they do, it’s Manchester City all over again. Nothing told Manchester City fans to get excited like their Round 3 derby win over Manchester United. If Moyes can get his team one (or three) points from Liverpool, Everton will get Newcastle at Goodison in the seventh round staring at an undefeated start through the season’s first two months. Everton would be at the top of the table when they go to the Emirates to face Arsenal for the league lead.

At that point, Everton is likely to capitulate to Arsenal and leave the top of the Premiership. The following week, they will host a Manchester United team which, having a relatively tough schedule to beginning to their schedule (round 4 at Liverpool; round 5 at Chelsea), will be looking to keep pace with an Arsenal side that does not face another of the big four until November 8, when they host Manchester United eleven matches into the season. Until that point, Arsenal’s toughest match is a visit to Ewood Park to face a Blackburn team which, if they lose either David Bentley or Roque Santa Cruz, will look entirely different than the squad that finished seventh last season.

Until Arsenal visits Chelsea on the 29th of November, all of their tough contests are at home. In edition to the Everton and Manchester United match-ups, they host their derby with Tottenham on October 28 and face Aston Villa at the Emirates on November 15. With a back-loaded schedule, Arsenal could replicate last year’s start, running-out to an early Premiership lead. They stand to go to Stamford Bridge without a loss after fourteen matches.

This opening to the Premiership sets up the nightmare scenario for Gunner fans. As the schedule evens out, Arsenal faces the prospect of again letting their rivals catch them from behind. Nothing could be more torturous for a fan base that was tormented by the way last season played out.

The tail of their fixture list sees Arsenal visit Portsmouth, host Chelsea, and go to Manchester United before closing the season with Stoke at home.  With that stretch coming in the middle of Champions League season, Arsenal will face another stomach wrenching finish - sitting at the top of the table, facing a series of fixtures where it would be no shame to drop points.

At the end of the 2008-09 Premiership campaign, the British press may be able to recycle the same stories they used last year. Arsenal could see Chelsea or Manchester United come from behind and catch them even if they avoid another dramatic slump. The schedule evening out could be enough to let their rivals pass them. And while the press analyzes whether Arsene Wenger’s side lacks the fortitude to overcome the order of their fixtures, stories replacing “Manchester City” with “Everton,” “Eriksson” with “Moyes” will be written to talk of Everton’s screaming start that faded into a tough competition with Aston Villa, Manchester City, Newcastle, Portsmouth and Tottenham for UEFA Cup spots.

Every club plays every other club twice: once at home; once away. Over the season’s ten months, it all evens out, but the order in which you face your toughest opponents can determine how your season is perceived.

Just ask Sven.

It’s only taken three days for the hiring at Stamford Bridge to set the British soccer media ablaze, so much so that, for the first time in its short history, Premiership News and Rumors concentrates on one club:  Chelsea FC.

While new Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari guides the Portuguese national team team through Euro 2008, the rest of the soccer-following world has volunteered to help him figure out how to spend owner Roman Abramovich’s fortune, from which £100 million might be allocated towards this summer’s transfer budget. All prominent targets from Scolari’s 2002 World Cup winning side from (Brazil) and the current Portuguese national team have had Chelsea move to the top of their likely destination lists; most prominently, Barcelona’s Deco and Ronaldinho.

After Scolari was named Chelsea boss earlier this week, speculation of Deco’s potential move from Barcelona exploded. Before that, speculation had Deco’s list of potential targets down to two: Chelsea and Inter Milan. Inter had been thought the favorite because of the hiring of Jose Mourinho, with whom Deco won the Champions League at FC Porto in 2004. With Scolari now announced at Chelsea, Stamford Bridge is now thought to be the favorite to land the Portuguese international, with some reports saying a deal is already done. Deco and his agent deny such a deal is in place, with the midfielder now worried that Barcelona may be asking too much as a transfer fee. “At my age you cannot ask too much for me,” said the 30-year-old, who was reported close to a deal at Inter before the Scolari hiring. That deal, said to be for around £10 million, was partially scuttled by Barça increasing their asking price. Deco’s price is now said to be closer to £15 million, with a high figure of £20 million also reported.

Deco’s teammate at Barcelona, Ronaldinho, had been speculated to Manchester City before Scolari’s hiring, but now that the man who was in charge of his 2002 World Cup winning team is at Chelsea, Ronaldinho has said “it would be a pleasure to cross paths with him again.” Part of what had made Ronaldinho’s move to Manchester City plausible (beyond Thaksin Shinawatra’s money) was the lack of interest from elite clubs. With Scolari now at Chelsea, that lack of interest may be no more. Shinawatra has been confident that City will acquire Ronaldinho, ready to pay a £20 million fee to Barça.

One other Barça player, Cameroon international Samuel Eto’o, has been linked with Chelsea, part of what might be a package deal with Deco. Eto’o has also been linked with Inter and AC Milan, the three teams most prominent in the bidding for Chelsea’s Didier Drogba. Drogba, however, in the wake of Scolari’s hiring, has reiterated his contract with Chelsea that runs through 2010, indicating he is willing to stay at The Bridge. If Drogba does indeed want to stay - a pledge he has notably come just short of making - Eto’o looks more likely to move to the Serie A.

One other current Chelsea player leaning back towards the club is center back Ricardo Carvalho. In what same have labeled as the most positive effect of Scolari’s announcement, the Portuguese international backed off quotes from early in the week pushing a reunion with Jose Mourinho. The hiring of Carvalho’s national team coach could be enough to see the club’s player of the year stay.

Another current member of the club Scolari’s hoping to keep is Frank Lampard. Lampard was another, along with Carvalho and Drogba, set to be targeted by Mourinho, but Scolari is said to be keen on keeping the midfielder, ready to make him the club’s highest paid player at £150,000 per week. The stabilizing factor of such a prominent hire may be a deciding factor for the England international, who is heading into the final year of a contract that he can buy-out for £7 million.

Real Madrid’s Robinho has also seen his name linked with Chelsea since the hiring of Scolari, though any club’s deal for the 24-year-old Brazilian is unlikely to be completed until the Cristiano Ronaldo affair ends. Robinho, it is rumored, will be proposed as a makeweight in the deal that would send Ronaldo from Manchester United to Real Madrid. Whatever odds you put on that happening, Real Madrid are unlikely to off-load the young winger when he can be used to help lure his superstar replacement. Should Madrid not acquire Ronaldo or Robinho not be makeweight in that deal, the amount speculated for a Chelsea bid is £28 million.

And no transfer speculation report would be complete without a mention of the man of the hour, David Villa. The Valencia striker has been the star of Euro 2008 over Spain’s first two matches, scoring four goals, including a hat trick in the Spaniards’ opening match against Russia. Already carrying a high price tag after scoring 18 goals in 29 games for Valencia, Villa was set to be sold to help Valencia balance their books, with Liverpool loosely mentioned as an interested party. But with Villa’s stellar performance at Euro, Rafa Benitez and his tight transfer budget might be priced out of the market, with the 26-year-old striker approaching a realm in which only the Chelseas of the world can consistently play. Villa will also see his priced pushed by La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, both of whom will have to deal with calls to acquire the available Spanish hero. However, in a ploy seemingly to drive up the price, Valencia coach Unai Emery now says Villa is not available.

If Villa truly is off-the-market, he will join a growing and distinguished list of names linked with Chelsea that have been affirmed unavailable by their owning clubs. AC Milan has warned off Chelsea regarding star midfielder Kaka amidst rumors Scolari may seek out the Brazilian. Liverpool continues to say Feranando Torres is unavailable, with Chelsea being the main target of those comments, while Bayern Munich says they will not sell Frank Ribery.

One of the more bazaar pieces of speculation holds right back Jose Bosingwa, who was confirmed in mid-May as switching from FC Porto to Chelsea, was actually a Scolari signing, with the Scolari authorizing the signing of the Portugal international almost one month before he was announced hired at Stamford Bridge. These are the type of rumors you get when the British media is handed the story of an elite club hiring a high profile coach and allocating him a seemingly unlimited amount of transfer money. You get conspiracy theories and, as seen above, links between club and almost every high-profile player in the world. Thankfully, no rumors of Portuguese international Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Stamford Bridge have surfaced.

Yet.