The James Milner move was the subject of a saga throughout the week, but today Aston Villa confirmed that they have agreed to a transfer with Newcastle for the England U21 winger.  The reported fee is around £10 million.

Milner had been linked with Villa, Everton, and Liverpool all summer, though Kevin Keegan and Newcastle United fought hard to hold onto him.  Milner, however, handed in a transfer request on August 20, a fact that surfaced this week.  Milner and the Professional Footballer’s Association took exception to news of the request becoming public, as they ahd respected the club’s wish to keep the matter private while a move was negotiated.  The PFA and Milner intimated that Newcastle had released the news prior to a transfer as a public relations step.

Milner had been playing wing for the Magpies, mostly on the right, in a midfield whose improvement form last season has been a major factor in Newcastle’s strong Premiership start.  The 22-year-old appeared in all three Newcastle matches (2 Premier League; 1 Carling Cup) and had been one of the club’s better players over the last week, assisting on Michael Owen’s goal against Bolton.  But the club’s unwillingness to improve the terms of a contract signed last season had the winger, whose role with the club has increased during that time, seeking a move.

Milner rejoins Aston Villa after spending the 2005-06 season on loan at Villa Park.  He will play mostly on the right win and will be expected to provide service for John Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor, allowing Ashley Young to move forward on the left when Villa builds up the right.  His playing time is not guaranteed, however, as in addition to Young, Villa have Gareth Barry, Nigel Reo-Coker, and Steve Sidwell in the middle fo the pitch.

For Newcastle, it thins out a lineup that is already hurting for an attack with forward Obafemi Martins and Mark Viduka ailing.  Milner’s sale means Geremi, a fixture until recently competing for a spot with Milner, will be more likely to reclaim playing time.

Premier League fans:  How does this effect Newcastle’s strong start?  And is the added depth worth the expendature for Villa?  Let us know what you think in the comments, below.

As ASR starts to catch-up with two busy days of transfer activity and continental soccer, we start in London, following one winger’s trip back westward to where his career started.

Over the last two days Shaun Wright-Phillips had been telling the press that he would not be moving to Everton or Manchester City, two clubs who were said to have approached Chelsea about his services.  It turns out Shaun was only half right.

Wright-Phillips will be rejoining Manchester City after signing a four-year deal today.  The 26-year-old right winger has passed a medical and will join Manchester City immediately, with an expected debut this weekend at Sunderland.  The fee was not officially disclosed, though speculation has Manchester City paying around £10 million.

Wright-Phllips started his career with Manchester City in 1999 and spent six seasons with the club.  In the summer of 2005 he moved to Chelsea, where he spent the last three seasons. Over the last year, Wright-Phillips has rarely been selected for Premiership and Champions League matches, having last his right wing spot to Joe Cole.

Wright-Phillips has steadily lost playing time at Stamford Bridge and had been rumored with a move all summer, with Portsmouth’s Harry Redknapp publicly declaring his interest in him.  Over the last week, as the transfer deadline approached and it became clear Pompey did not have the money, Everton and Manchester City emerged as suitors.

On Thursday, Wright-Phillips agreed to move back to Manchester City after speaking to new manager Mark Hughes.  The right winger signed a four year deal and is expected to be selected immediately, giving City some needed pace and width.

His resumption of regular playing time could see Wright-Phillips’ name resurface in England international discussions.  After making 21 appearances between 2004 and 2007, Wright-Phillips has had his name dropped from consideration for international duties because of his lack of playing time with Chelsea.

The Wright-Phillips era in London is over.  Money well spent for City?  And what of his England aspirations?  Let us know in the comments, below.

In a shock move this Saturday evening, Chelsea have agreed to terms to send Ukranian striker Andriy Shevchenko back to Milan.

Shevchenko moved from the San Siro to Stamford Bridge two seasons ago, but was never able to settle in with his new club.  During his 7 years with Milan, Shevchenko scored 127 goals in 208 games and collected a variety of awards.  His failure to carry this form over to Chelsea attributed to his lack of consistent playing time.

This move comes as such a large suprise because earlier this week reports confirmed that the deal was all but dead.  In an interview with La Gazzetta Dello Sport, Rossoneri coach Carlo Ancelotti spoke about the situation.

“For the past two years I have been disappointed at his departure from Milan,” Ancelotti said. “Now all I can say is that he is a Chelsea player.”

The terms of the deal have not yet been revealed.  Milan’s official website states that the terms are confidential.  Shevchenko will be in Milan on Monday to undergo a medical.

The transfer of an oft-injured back-up is not usually something that warrants its own space, but when two of the league’s elite are involved, it’s worth a note.

Mikael Silvestre was one of the longest tenured Red Devils, having been with the club since his move from Inter Milan almost ten years ago.  In recent years, the 31-year-old center/left back has been an infrequent contributor.  Injuries and the acquisition of players like Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra have cut into his playing time.  Though he saw some time at the end of last season, Silvestre was losing traction on United’s depth chart and looked unlikely to get playing time.

He had been rumored with moves all summer, but loan agreements with AS Roma and Bordeaux could not be worked out.  This week, it surfaced that Silvestre was on the verge of a move across town to Mancehster City.  Then Arsene Wenger swooped.  Arsenal hijacked Manchester City’s target, wtih Silvestre having to call City to apologize for being so close to a deal yet having to withdraw his interest in the face of an opportunity to join Arsenal.

It did not take long for Wenger and Alex Ferguson to work out a rare transfer.  Wenger joined Arsenal in 1996, and this is his first deal with United.  Ferguson joined United in 1986. and this is his first deal with Arsenal.  The last deal between the two clubs was in 1974!

Silvestre’s role with Arsenal is unclear, though with the Gunners slightly less set in the middle of their defence than United, Silvestre may see a few more games in London than at Old Trafford.  With these two clubs unlikely to do business again anytime soon, Silvestre will not have to play to become the new answer to a trivia question.

One of the stranger transfers of recent memory?  Tell us your thoughts.  Gunners fans:  where does Silvestre fit in?

Striker Djibril Cisse found himself on the bench this weekend as Marseille rolled through Auxerre, 4-0.  The benching was a mild surprise, given Cisse was Marseille’s leading scorer last season.  But with Mamadou Niang and Bakari Koné play well as a duo, Cisse’s benching seemed tactically viable.

Now it appears there may be another reason for Cisse being excluded from the lineup, one derived from the striker’s desires to move back to England.

Today Marseille announced that the former Liverpool player will join Sunderland on a season long loan.  Cisse will fill the striker void Roy Keane has been trying to address since Kenwyne Jones hurt his knee in May.  Cisse will give the Black Cats a number nine who can play with El-Hadji Diouf up top.

Cisse had been seeking a move back to England, as his wife is British.  With him being out of the starting lineup this weekend, Cisse renewed his request of club president Pape Diouf for a move.  Diouf, on the club’s website, said that after coach Erik Gerets had Cisse out of the lineup for the Auxerre match, he would not stand in the way of Cisse moving.

Diouf said hat Marseille had also talked to Manchester City about a move, but after this weekend he quickly finalized a deal with Sunderland.  The Black Cats, coming off a strong albeit losing showing against Liverpool on Saturday, will add some much needed scoring potential to the squad.

Cisse scored 22 goals in 50 games last season for Marseille, helping the team to a third place finish in Ligue 1.  His last season in the Premier League was 2005-06 when he scored 17 goals in 58 games for Liverpool.  He moved from Anfield to Marseille after seeing his playing time decrease toward the end that season.

For all you EPL or Ligue 1 fans out there, what do you think?  Is this a good move for Marseille?  And how much of an impact will this have on Sunderland’s season?

Former Chivas USA and current second choice United States national team goaltender Brad Guzan has spanned the final hurdle in his move to the Premiership. Today, Guzan was granted his work permit, clearing the way for him to sign his previously agreed-to contract with Aston Villa and join Martin O’Neill’s side after the Olympics. Guzan is currently with the United States’ Olympic team in preparation for the Beijing games, where he was selected as one of the squad’s three over-age players.

Guzan and Villa had agreed to a move in January that was canceled because of the inability to secure a work permit. England typically only issues work permits to players who are regulars on their country’s senior national team. In the intervening months, Guzan made more appearances for Bob Bradley and the national team, helping to secure his work permit.

In his three plus seasons with Chivas USA, Guzan played in 82 regular season matches and won an MLS Goaltender of the Year award. He had a shaky start to this MLS season, letting in a couple of howlers, but has recovered to again assert himself as one of the league’s best and Bradley’s choice behind Everton’s Tim Howard.

For Aston Villa, he will have an opportunity to learn from fellow American Brad Friedel, who just transferred to Villa Park from Blackburn. Friedel signed a three year deal, over which he is expected to transition his starting job to Guzan.

Today, Tottenham received the first yields from the Robbie Keane sale when David Bentley agreed to move from Blackburn to White Hart Lane.  Having agreed to terms with the Rovers today, Spurs have scheduled a media conference for Thursday to unveil their new midfielder.

The price for the 23-year-old England international is expected to be £18 million.

Shortly before new manager Paul Ince was hired at Ewood Park, Bentley had handed in a request to be transferred.  Tottenham was immediatelly linked with the wantaway midfielder though their initial inquiries failed to meet Blackburn’s evaluation.  When Ince was unable to convince Bentley to say with the Rovers and Spurs sold Keane to Liverpool, Bentley’s transfer to Tottenham looked all but assured.

On Thursday, Bentley will be welcomed to the club, where he will play on the right side of a midfield led by attacking midfielder Luka Modric, another summer acquisition.  Along the right side he will be expected to link up with prospect striker Giovani Dos Santos, who was acquired from Barcelona last month.

After spending his early professional career training at Arsenal, Bentley moved to Blackburn in 2005, making his initial loan permanent one season later.  He made 132 career appearances for the Rovers over three years, occasionally seeing time in the middle of the pitch in edition to his customary right side.  He totalled 20 goals and 27 assists while working his way into the England men’s national team, for whom he’s made six appearances over the last year-and-a-half.

The rumors of the Bentley acquisition heated up after Liverpool confirmed the signing of Robbie Keane.   Spurs are said to remain in the market for a striker, a potential replacement for the wantaway Dimitar Berbatov.  Andrei Arshavin’s Zenit St. Petersburg club is said to be negotiating with Tottenham regarding a potential sale, while Valencia’s David Villa and Fluminense’s Thiago Neves continue to be linked with the club.

Aston Villa have successfully bid for Blackburn goalkeeper and former U.S. international Brad Friedel.  Villa will pay the Rovers £2 million for the 37-year-old goaltender, who made 346 appearances in all competitions for Blackburn over the last seven seasons.  Should he agree to terms with Villa, Friedel will immediately step-in as the starting goaltender for Martin O’Neill, serving as a mentor for fellow American Brad Guzan.

Friedel is coming off a stellar year for Blackburn which saw him play a major role in the club’s seventh place finish.  He appeared in all forty-seven of Blackburn’s  matches last season, playing every minute.  Along with striker Roque Santa Cruz and midfielder David Bentley, Friedel formed the core of a team that finished just outside of qualification for European soccer.

Friedel has had a turmoltuous offseason after Mark Hughes left for Manchester City and was replaced by Paul Ince.  Two weeks ago, rumors speculated that Ince sought to replace Friedel.  Ince later affirmed his desire to keep the veteran goalkeeper.  Friedel later requested to move to Villa.  At Villa Park, Friedel would assume the starting position occupied last season by Scott Carson, who will be at West Brom this season.

In addition to being out of European football, Blackburn faces a potential rebuilding, with transfers of Santa Cruz and Bentley being speculated.  This along with a coaching change makes the move of the veteran goalkeeper likely.  Friedel would leave Ewood Park having established himself as one of the best keepers in club history.

Aston Villa remains alive for European football through the Intertoto Cup.

Chelsea FC has let 35-year-old holding midfielder Claude Makélélé, one of the backbone players in the club’s rise to power over the Roman Abramovich-era, has been allowed to move to Paris St. Germain of France’s Ligue 1.  The transfer allows the France international to return to his national league for the final stage of his career while trying to revitalize a tradition-rich club.  He leaves Chelsea on a free transfer after the club let him out of his contract.

Last season, Paris St. Germain finished one spot above relegation in Le Championnat despite winning the Coupe de la Ligue (the French League Cup).  In an effort to bolster their squad for this league season and their UEFA Cup campaign, PSG has sought Makélélé since the end of last season’s Premiership.  With Luiz Felipe Scolari taking over at Stamford Bridge and bringing in his system, Makélélé’s spot in Chelsea’s lineup was not guaranteed, as it was last season.  With John Obi Mikel on the roster as a holding midfielder, Chelsea could afford to let the Frenchman go.

Having acquired Ludovic Giuly from AS Roma last week, PSG is in the process of stocking-up with veterans in the hopes of avoiding another relegation battle.  Makélélé is the second such acquisition, with center back Liliam Thuram, last of Barcelona, also connected with the club.

Makélélé’s departure from Stamford Bridge represents a small changing end-of-an-era.  After coming to Chelsea from Real Madrid (where he had won two league titles and the Champions League), Chelsea immediately became trophy hawk.  In his five seasons with the club, Chelsea won five major honors:  two Premiership titles; one FA Cup; two League Cups.  He made 217 appearances for the Blues, scoring two goals.

Chelsea FC honored Makélélé on the team’s web site, saying his contirbutions form “a personal record that stands alongside any in our history.”

Makélélé’s departure brings to an end the first part of Chelsea’s Roman Abramovich-era.  Brought in during Abramovich’s first summer with the club, his acquisition coincided with the upturn in club performance.  In his second season, after the hiring of manager Jose Mourinho, Chelsea’s run of silverware started when the club captured the Premiership and the League Cup.  Makélélé was a major contributor to each accomplishment, with 2004-05 possibly his best season at Stamford Bridge.

Last season was the first in three that Chelsea did not win silverware, leading to the hiring of Luiz Felipe Scolari as manager.  Scolari has sought to trim the club’s first team roster, making Makélélé expendable.  The veteran midfielder, like other French nationals, sought to move to PSG to try an revitalize a club that fought relegation last season.

Manchester United Moves

The insanity of the Cristiano Ronaldo news aside, Manchester United has been relatively quiet since the end of the season.  Although the names of Klass-Jan Huntelaar and Dimitar Berbatov have been mentioned, no rumors have stuck to Alex Ferguson’s squad the way the Adebayor, Barry, and Lampard rumors have hit other clubs.

That all changed today when two British sources reported that Manchester United and Tottenham had agreed to a £28 million fee for Dimitar Berbatov. While there has been no confirmation from the clubs on such an agreement, the idea of Berbatov being destined for United has been floated since before the end of the last Premiership. With Cristiano Ronaldo destined to miss the first one or two months of the season, Berbatov would fill the need United would have for an aerial force and striker. If the rumors of an agreement, however extravagant, are correct, Berbatov and United are now discussing personal terms.

In even more flamboyant rumors, Argentine Sergio “Kun” Aguero has been linked to the Premiership thanks to comments from his agent saying a big club has expressed interest in his client. Sources revealed that club to be Manchester United, a strange connection considering the current make-up of United’s strike force. Aguero,  who last season won the Puerta Award as La Liga’s best player, stands just short of 5-foot-8, making about the same stature of both Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez.

Aguero’s agent did not eliminate either Arsenal or Liverpool from the possibilities, but the amount being discussed would make those clubs unlikely suitors. The 20-year-old who scored 19 goals last season for Atletico Madrid has been linked with valuations from £32 million to £44 million.

Aguero’s reported price plus the Berbatov rumors have led to speculation that an agreement is in place between Manchester United and Real Madrid for the sale of Ronaldo. That theory:  The Ronaldo sale will go through once the main compensating purchase - in this case, Aguero - is made. At that point, Ronaldo would be sold for around £75 million.

Alonso to Juventus Falls Apart - What Now for Barry?

Juventus has their midfielder, and it’s not Xabi Alonso.

Today, Juventus confirmed their purchase of former Sevilla midfielder Christian Poulsen.  The Dane moves to the Serie A after Juve paid his 10 million Euro buy-out. Poulsen, a deep sitting midfielder like Alonso, was said to be chosen over Alonso as the better battler. That choice eliminates the main suitor for Alonso, who was to be Benitez’s main source of funds for the acquisition of Gareth Barry. Juventus has said they are gone acquiring out-field talent.

Late last week Benitez had confirmed that he needs to sell more players to acquire Barry and the striker he wants (still thought to be Tottenham’s Robbit Keane). With Alonso now either set for an Anfield stay or to be sold for less than the £15+ million Juventus had said to be bidding, Benitez finds himself in a quagmire.  This may be the reason why goaltender Scott Carson was linked to both West Brom and Stoke City for £4 million.  The total is less than he had told Martin O’Neill the England international would be sold for.

If Benitez can sell Carson, the money from his, Peter Crouch’s, and John Arne Riise’s sales come close to the £18 million O’Neill is demanding for Gareth Barry. Assuming Benitez either has or can find the rest of the money, Barry and Alonso may be playing in the same midfield in a month. Unfortunately, they will be playing behind an attack that will against rely heavily on great performances from Fernando Torres and Steven Gerard, a formula that only got the club fourth place last season.

David Bentley Auction Picking Up Steam

With all the talk of Gareth Barry’s thought-to-be impending move to Anfield, many forgot that there was another England international midfielder who had handed in a transfer request. Blackburn’s David Bentley, four years younger than Barry, had his situation confused by the managerial change at Ewood Park, but with Paul Ince now firmly in charge, the bidding has started.

Tottenham has been long thought to be in line for Bentley’s services, and although Bentley’s request to play in the Champions League seems at odds with moving from seventh place Blackburn to eleventh place Tottenham, Spurs’ offseason activity, rumored £17 million dollar bid, and UEFA Cup spot make them an attractive option. Multiple sources have reported the two clubs have agreed on that transfer fee, though there has been confirmation from neither club.

One bid Paul Ince has confirmed is that coming from Aston Villa. There was no value quoted on Martin O’Neill’s bid, but Ince said that he turned it down, reiterating his intention on keeping his star midfielder.

Likewise, Ince does not want to see the Rovers’ other main contributors last season, striker Roque Santa Cruz and goaltender Brad Freidel, move. Both have had their names come up in rumors, with Santa Cruz links to Spurs and Arsenal. The Paraguayan sar has reiterated that he would like to stay with Rovers, though there may be an Adebayor-like temptation to sell high on a goalscorer who many feel performed beyond expectations last season. Friedel, who has been linked with Aston Villa and Manchester City, was thought to be on the wrong side of Ince’s option until this week when his new manager said he does not plan to move the American goaltender.

Around the Premiership

• Chelsea target Robinho said he is under the impression that Real Madrid will only be selling him in the event that they acquire Cristiano Ronaldo, though even in that scenario he has no interest in moving away from the Santiago Bernabeu.
• Chelsea’s other big move, the potential departure of Frank Lampard, may have got slightly more likely with the news of an improved offer from Inter Milan.  Whereas Inter had been offer just short of £8 million for Lampard, their new offer is £15 million plus Brazilian striker Adriano, currently playing for Internacional in Brazil.
• Andriy Shevchenko, last week linked with a return to AC Milan on loan, has seen the Serie A’s Sampdoria start negotiations for a similar move.
• River Plate’s Falcao Garcia, who has been tracked by Manchester United, is said to be the subject of a £8 million bid from Arsene Wenger and Arsenal. The 22-year-old Garcia scored 6 goals in the the Argentine Premier League’s Clasura and is being sought to replace Emmanuel Adebayor’s spot on the roster. If Adebayor stays, it is unlikely Arsenal will move for the Colombian striker.
• On the Adebayor front, Arsenal was rumored to have reduced their asking price on the Togoan, thought previously to be £36 million. Suggesting they are ready to move on, Arsenal was said to be asking only £19 million from AC Milan.
• The agent for Andrei Arshavin said yesterday that his client would enjoy playing for Arsene Wenger, feeding into the idea tha Wenger has been in on the pursuit for the Russia star all along. This, in addition to the Huntelaar, Falcao, and Santa Cruz rumors, is seen as explaining why Adebayor’s price may have dropped.
• Aston Villa has agreed with MLS on the transfer of Chivas USA goaltender Brad Guzan and now await his work permit. Guzan’s recent stretch of appearances for the men’s national team has manager Martin O’Neill optimistic the same stumbling block which blocked a January move will not prevent Guzan moving to England. The only question remains whether Guzan’s nine appearances meet the work permit requirement that a player be a regular on his national team.
• Paul Ince and the Blackburn Rovers have given 33-year-old former England international Robbie Fowler a two week trial.
• Romanian defender Dorin Goian, one of the country’s best players at Euro 2008, has been linked with a move to Sunderland, who would pay a £3.5 million to Steaua Bucharest for his services.
• Hull City have reportedly agreed to personal terms with George Boateng, with the midfielder slated to join the Tigers from Middlesbrough. Boateng was allowed to seek a new home by Gareth Southgate and has agreed to a two year deal with the recently promoted club.
• Further bolstering their midfield, Hull City also acquired French international midfielder Bernard Mendy on a free transfer. The former Bolton Wanderer who had been with Paris St. Germain signed a three year deal with Phil Brown’s squad.