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Never would I have thought that I would be writing an article about the ‘problems’ facing a team with centre midfield options ‘restricted’ to James Milner, Gareth Barry, Owen Hargeaves and Nigel de Jong. Four international footballers who are bonafide world class players and all, I’m sure, would walk into any team in the Premier League.

And yet, Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini will no doubt be rueing Yaya Touré’s imminent departure for the African Cup of Nations which begins on the 21st of January.

Touré is a huge driving force for The Citizens, with 5 goals already to his name this season, and his ability and importance could perhaps not be better evidenced than it was in his display in Tuesday night’s 3-0 drubbing of Liverpool, in which he drew the penalty from Martin Skrtel following a fantastic run from the halfway line that led to the final goal of the game and where he was denied the Man of the Match award only by the back-line brilliance of club captain Vincent Kompany. Touré is the type of box-to-box midfielder that any manager would pay top dollar to have in their starting XI; Roberto Mancini clearly agreed when he brought the Ivorian to Eastlands from Barcelona for a reported £24 million, and just last month the 28-year old was crowned as the 2011 African Player of the Year.

Now, Touré is one of ten players who could leave the Premier League this month to represent their respective countries at Africa’s biggest international competition. Older brother Kolo Touré is another Manchester City player leaving for Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, although his absence from the side over the past six months for failing a drug test has meant that Kompany and Joleon Lescott have formed a formidable partnership at the heart of the league-leaders’ defence and, as a result, will know they are very capable without the former Arsenal man.

If I asked the question ‘Who was the signing of the summer in 2011′s offseason?’, I’d have trouble arguing with someone who gave Demba Ba as their response. The Senegalese striker signed for Newcastle United on a free transfer following West Ham’s relegation to the Championship and has gone on to score 15 league goals this season already; only Robin van Persie has found the net more frequently. As Ba boards the plane for central Africa, therefore, Newcastle manager Alan Pardew could be forgiven for having a tear in his eye, as he also looks set to lose star midfielder and reportedly Manchester United target Cheik Tioté. Their back-up striking options of the Ameboi brothers, Peter Lovenkrands and Leon Best will look to use Ba’s short-term departure as an opportunity to cement a first-team place, but questions must be asked as to whether they have that same va-va-voom.

Speaking of va-va-voom, Arsenal legend Thierry Henry is expected to make his loan return to North London official any minute now, just in time to wish a safe trip to another Ivorian plying his trade in England’s top tier, Gervinho. The dodgy-haired striker has come under criticism this season for some questionable finishing, but there can be no doubting the fact that he has a role to play when the Gunners go forward as part of a front three that also involves van Persie and England winger Theo Walcott. Henry could fill that Gervinho-shaped hole on the left for the coming month as he could throw back to the role he played in a Barcelona team with Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto’o that was enough to keep defenders awake for hours into the night. Andrey Arshavin, disappointing so far this season could also be given a returning place in the Arsenal attack, although Wenger may look more closely at teenage sensation and England Under-21s winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Similarly, the departure of Ivory Coast powerhouse Didier Drogba could mean a greater run of fixtures for misfiring striker Fernando Torres. Torres signed for Chelsea for £50 million but has disappointed many by only scoring 3 times in his first 27 games for the Blues. Can Drogba’s absence lead to an increase in Torres’ self-belief and goalscoring tally?

Elsewhere QPR will lose two of their star players in Moroccan playmaker Adel Taarabt and Senegalese left-back Armand Traoré; Chelsea will be without wantaway Ivorian forward Solomon Kalou; and Wigan will also notice the tournament pinching their Senegalese midfielder Mohamed Diamé.

Some fans will miss their team’s stars, some players will see their teammate’s departure as an opportunity, a chance to shine. But what of the players for whom there were no seats on the plane?

Several of the Premier League’s managers will be wiping their brows, grateful for the fact that their African stars will not be entering the competition. Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill will surely be pleased at Benin’s failure to qualify for the tournament as it means he can keep hold of arguably his best player in midfield maestro Stéphane Sessègnon.

Emmanuel Adebayor will stay at Spurs after his native Togo failed to qualify for the tournament. Perhaps the biggest shock of the African Cup of Nations qualifying phase was the failures of the Nigerian national team. With six Nigerian internationals representing Premier League clubs (Yakubu, Peter Odemwingie, John Obi Mikel, Dickson Etuhu, Victor Moses and Victor Anichebe), I’m sure there are plenty of managers and fans alike who will be pleased by the surprise pre-mature exit.

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Tottenham Hotspur striker Emmanuel Adebayor has decided to return to the Togo national team after a 19-month absence.

The 27-year-old quit the international scene in April 2010, three months after the team bus was the subject of a gun attack which killed three people during the African Nations Cup in Angola.

The Togolese Football Federation (FTF) said in a statement: “Emmanuel Adebayor has reiterated his willingness to be back with the national team of Togo in view of the 2013 African Nations Cup and 2014 World Cup qualifiers.

“He hopes that a new football chapter can be opened. He is committed to playing at the start of qualifying games for those two competitions.”

The former Togo captain has made himself available for next week’s World Cup qualifier against Guinea Bissau after receiving assurances over the safety of players in future matches.

“I am happy to say that I am returning for Togo and will avail myself for next week’s game against Guinea Bissau,” Adebayor told the BBC.

“I decided to quit the international scene because I had concerns about the safety of players after the deadly attack in Cabinda.

“Things were not done properly. The FTF agreed with the key issues I raised and they have resolved that they will solve these problems for the benefit of all the players.

“I want to serve my country but the safety of all the players in the team must be paramount. I have been assured that this issue and others will be addressed.

“Now that I am returning to the team it is up to the coach to decide whether he wants to play me or not.

“I am returning to the team as a member of the squad and I don’t expect any special treatment. I will be treated as any other player in the team.”

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Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur will join forces to name and shame supporters who made abusive chants during the north London derby on Sunday.

Both clubs condemned the signing from fans who have a history of hating each other – a rivalry that has grown ever more intense over the last few years.

Spurs fans sang vile songs directed at the Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, while they also booed defender Bacary Sagna while he was being stretchered off with a broken ankle.

Arsenal fans were no better, chanting songs about Wenger’s counterpart Harry Redknapp and taunting Emmanuel Adebayor about the shooting of the Togo bus in Angola.

The clubs say they will be “working closely with each other to identify the individuals involved.”

The joint statement says “neither club tolerates foul language, racist chanting, homophobic chanting or any anti-social behavior from its supporters.”

Tottenham revealed several fans were ejected from both sections of support and they will make sure anyone found guilty will be banned for life.

“It is club policy to ban fans that are found guilty of abusive chanting,” a club spokeswoman said.

“We evicted several fans at the time during the match. The way we deal with large numbers is we take out one or two of the ring-leaders who are initiating the chants.”

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Tottenham Hotspur striker Emmanuel Adebayor has apologised to Arsenal for taunting them during his goal celebration.

The 27-year-old ran the left of the pitch in 2009, while playing for Manchester City, before sliding on his knees in an act the police described as inciting the crowd in a negative fashion.

The ex-Togo international was receiving abuse for leaving the Emirates in a controversial move earlier that summer.

He was awarded a two-game suspended ban for improper conduct, but was banned for three games for violent conduct as he stamped on Robin van Persie’s face in the same game.

Now at Arsenal’s arch-rivals Tottenham on-loan, Adebayor will face his old side again this weekend and has attempted to diffuse a volatile situation before it begins.

“What happened two years ago was an accident and I do apologise to all the fans of Arsenal,” he told Talksport.

“Sometime the emotions, we cannot control them, we are all human beings.

“I regret what I have done and I say sorry to everyone but at the end of the day sorry doesn’t change anything. For me it’s over.

“I’m looking forward to playing against Arsenal again on Sunday but believe me, if I have a chance to score, trust me I will score but as for the celebration, never in my life will I do something like that again.

“I have a chance to play against Arsenal again, the club that gave me the chance to be where I am today. I have a huge respect for the club.”

Arsenal fans may not be so quick to forgive Adebayor, who they believe disrespected the club when he left for City.

Not only does his celebration and stamp on Van Persie rile the Gunners, but Adebayor comes across as self-obsessed arrogant man.

After one successful season at the Emirates, he tried to force a move to AC Milan. When he failed, he sulked for a whole season before moving to Manchester.

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Wayne Rooney – Manchester United

The Red Devil has started the season in scintillating form. Eight goals in four games is an extraordinary return, which could probably be only matched by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. But the England star does have a tendency to score lots of goals in patches which are then followed by lean spells. Injury could also hamper his chances.

Sergio Aguero – Manchester City

Some foreign stars struggle when they move to England but Kun looks as if he has played here all his life. Six goals in three games is a great start, and his partnership with David Silva and Samir Nasri could be special. But meaner defences than what he has faced so far and colder weather awaits.

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Tottenham Hotspur will push through a £16million bid for Internacional striker Leandro Damiao to put the finishing touches to a triple swoop.

The 22-year-old has attracted interest from Barcelona but Spurs are at the front of the queue having had a £12million offer rejected by the Samba club.

Internacional want to keep the Brazil international until the end of their season but Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is keen to bring him to north London as soon as possible.

The arrival of Damiao will complete a triple swoop for Redknapp who has secured the season-long services of two star players.

Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor watched Spurs’ goalless draw with Hearts to secure progression to the Europa League group stages.

The 27-year-old completed his medical yesterday but Premier League rules mean he cannot play in Tottenham’s home clash with City on Sunday.

Redknapp will pay £75,000 of his weekly £180,000 wages for the ex-Togo international, who was on-loan at Real Madrid last season after falling out with Blues boss Roberto Mancini.

Spurs have also completed a season-long loan deal for Spain U21 midfielder Iago Falque, 21, from Juventus, according to The Sun.

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Tottenham Hotspur are on the verge of signing Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor on a season-long loan.

The 27-year-old will undergo a medical today after the two clubs reached an agreement last night.

The Togo international will head back to north London two years after leaving Spurs’ fierce rivals Arsenal.

He is not the most popular man in the area with Gunners fans hating his lack of loyalty and his infamous celebration against them following his goal for City.

Even Tottenham fans do not like him because of his Arsenal links and Adebayor even accused them of racism as he scored two goals against them in the Champions League last season.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has been eager to add a striker to his squad as he tries to get his side back into the top four of the Premier League.

So he has swooped for Togo ace Adebayor, who is behind Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko, Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli in the pecking order at City.

Redknapp was keen on signing the lanky ace earlier this summer but his £170,000-a-week wages have been a sticking point.

Tottenham have agreed to pay a larger percentage of this salary than they were originally willing to splash out.

Adebayor will have to wait for his debut as he will be ineligible to play against his parent club this Sunday.

The move could open the door for Peter Crouch’s exit from White Hart Lane, with QPR and Fulham both interested in the England international.

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Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini wants the £25million deal for Arsenal’s Samir Nasri tied up “very quickly”.

Negotiations between the sides have been ongoing for some time with news of the switch expected this week.

No such announcement has been made as yet, but Mancini – whose side face Bolton in the Premier League on Sunday – wants to see the transfer wrapped up swiftly.

“I hope we can close it very quickly now, but I don’t know the last news about him because my concentration is on the game,” Mancini said.

“But I hope – also because the market finishes in the next 10 days.

“I don’t know (why there is a delay in proceedings) - this is not my job.

“I don’t know why, but it is probably because Nasri is a good player, or because there is some problem.”

In terms of potential outgoing personnel, one player who seems certain to leave City is Emmanuel Adebayor.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp revealed he was in talks with the Blues about a move for the striker, with Mancini saying a move was “possible”.

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp revealed he is close to signing Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor on a season-long loan.

The 27-year-old has been told he can leave the Blues by boss Roberto Mancini, who was not impressed with his work ethic.

Spurs and City have been in negotiations for some time over a possible deal, with Adebayor’s £170,000-a-week wages proving to be the only real stumbling block.

Tottenham fans may not welcome the signing as Adebayor used to play for fierce rivals Arsenal, and he accused them of racial abuse as the forward knocked Spurs out of the Champions League last year.

Redknapp hopes to seal a move for the striker soon but is leaving talks to club chairman Daniel Levy.

“The chairman is talking to Man City about the player but where they (the negotiations) are at, I genuinely don’t know,” he said.

Meanwhile Spurs’ preparations for the Europa League tie against Hearts have been disrupted by the Edinburgh Festival.

There are no hotels available in the city and the team are having to stay 50 miles away in St Andrews.

“It’s been a problem with our preparation, but we’ll get around it,” first-team coach Joe Jordan said.

“We would have preferred to stay in Edinburgh, but we’re a long way away from it. We’re up at St Andrews.

“We would have liked to have been closer on the day of the game so our journey there would have been a lot shorter.”

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Manchester City are preparing to offer striker Emmanuel Adebayor plus £10million for Inter Milan star Samuel Eto’o.

Blues boss Roberto Mancini is a huge fan of the Cameroon international and would love to bring him to the Etihad Stadium.

But Mancini has been told he must offload Adebayor, craig Bellamy and Roque Santa Cruz from the wage bill before bringing in new blood.

Captain Carlos Tevez also wants to leave, with Inter keen on the Argentine, but the Serie A club will struggle to raise the necessary funds.

Eto’o is happy to move to City after falling out with new Inter boss Gian Piero Gasperini.

The 30-year-old does have history for stringing City along to further his own ends and the club are wary of his intentions.

He would prefer a move to London over Manchester — Tottenham are his only option, with no interest from Arsenal or Chelsea — but City appear the only feasible Premier League destination at this point.

Adebayor has long been on the market and was sent on-loan to Real Madrid last January but the La Liga side will not match the Blues’ valuation of the African.

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