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Barcelona are weighing up a £5million bid for Bolton Wanderers defender Gary Cahill to help sure up their backline.

The 25-year-old is available on a free next summer and has been widely tipped with a move away from the Reebok Stadium in January as the Trotters will not let him leave for nothing.

The England international has been strongly linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Arsenal in the previous transfer window but no club matched his £17million release clause.

It was the reported interest from the Gunners that alerted Barcelona to Cahill’s ability, and manager Pep Guardiola has been keeping tabs on him since.

With doubts over Carlos Puyol’s long-term future and worries about Javier Mascherano’s ability to play at centre-half, the Catalans are keen on signing a new defender.

Cahill is available at a bargain price and will not be cup-tied for the Champions League which are both attractive for the Spanish and European champions.

Guardiola is also believed to have consulted new signing Cesc Fabregas about the Bolton’s centre-back with the ex-Arsenal captain singing Cahill’s praises.

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Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has accused Barcelona of gamesmanship and playacting, labelling the Catalonians a ‘small team’.

Another El Classico was overshadowed by the antics of the two sets of players, who embarked on a touchline melee following the sending off of Marcelo.

The subsitutiues and coaches all got involved with Mourinho thrusting a finger in the ear of Barca assistant Tito Vilanova, and receiving a slap for his actions.

Mourinho, who will this season serve a Champions League touchline ban after comments made about his rivals last season, could now face further action.

This did not bother him as he questioned the Catalans’ sporting morals and was particularly unhappy about the lack of ball-boys after half-time with Barcelona 2-1 up and 4-3 ahead on aggregate.

He said: “Real Madrid gave a spectacular performance from the first to the last minute. We came here to play.

“What I’m about to say is not a criticism, I’m just stating a fact: there were no ball-boys in the second half, which is typical of small teams when experiencing difficulties.

“I’m not going to say we’re happy because we didn’t win the Spanish Super Cup, that would be hypocritical of me.

“But we intended to play like men and not fall on the ground at the slightest touch.”

Despite the controversy, Mourinho feels his team are getting closer to Barca, who pipped Madrid to the La Liga title last season and knocked them out of the Champions League.

“We feel like we played two very good games in their entirety,” he added. “This team is better than it was last year.

“The longer you work with people, the better the conditions are to have a better year.

“We played nine games this pre-season and proved to be better than we were last year in the last two.

“I’m happy with the progress my men have made.”

Barca defender Gerard Pique was clear in his opinion on where the blame lay and claims the ‘Special One’ is ruining Spanish football.

“I do not talk about the brawl,” the Spain international said. “But it’s a shame, it is not the first time and it’s always the same.

“Someone has to take action on the matter. Mourinho is destroying Spanish football. There is talk about the Catalans, but the problem is with Madrid.

“I think it’s going too far. It cannot always end well. In the end this will end very badly.”

Mourinho’s opposite number Pep Guardiola did not wade into the issue but had a word of caution for those involved in the tense atmosphere on the pitch.

“The images speak for themselves,” he said.

“We must be careful, because one day we will cause harm, not on the field but off, and we’re all a little responsible for this. ”

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It seems almost a staple of the summer these days to have a huge transfer saga that drags on and on, that everyone eventually loses interest in. The Cesc Fabregas saga has become a fixture of the off-season in the last few years, and it shows no sign of letting up any time soon. The Catalan club are reported to be sticking at the £35 million mark, when Arsenal want £40 million. I’m debating beginning a fund raising mission to fill the gap in Barcelona’s offer just to put an end to it!

However, if Barcelona did actually manage to get the transfer finalised this summer, which becomes less and less likely with each passing day, where would he fit into the team?

Barcelona’s midfield three of Sergio Busquets holding, with Andres Iniesta and Xavi playing ahead of him is particularly solid. These three play a part in keeping Fabregas out of the Spanish starting line up. So if they are keeping him out of the national first team, why would it be any different at Barcelona?

To get the best out of Fabregas, they would want to ideally play him in the centre of the park, where Iniesta and Xavi are the residents. Playing him in a deeper role would hardly be beneficial. Besides if the holding midfielder Busquets was unavailable for any particular match, Javier Mascherano would be chosen ahead of Fabregas in that position. While Mascherano may not have the passing ability or vision of Fabregas, he is the better tackler by some way and would break the play up more effectively.

This pre-season has also seen the emergence of another young midfield talent at Barcelona, that of Thiago Alcantara. The young Spaniard has been in scintillating form in the past few weeks, scoring cracking goals at the Audi Cup and against Manchester United. This coming after the youngster was an integral part of Spain’s Under 21 European Championship victory. Such performances cannot go unnoticed or unrewarded and so Thiago can expect to increase his number of appearances for the club in the coming season.

One option could have been to put Iniesta out wide, drop Pedro Rodriguez, and play Fabregas in midfield with Xavi. However, the signing of Alexis Sanchez from Udinese makes this an unlikely scenario. A change in formation could enable Fabregas to have a role in the starting line up, but a lack of wide midfielders would make for a very narrow style. Using wingers in a deeper role would only damage their tactics.

With Xavi at 31, and Fabregas wanting to return to the Nou Camp, after a few more solid years from the Catalan idol, Fabregas would be the ideal replacement. He will face stiff competition from young Thiago however who will also want to press for a starting position. If Barca do not sign Fabregas, they will still be the best team in the world. If they do sign him, they will become even stronger with a tremendous amount of midfield talent. Fabregas and Thiago may compete if the Arsenal man signs, but they may also be the future of Barcelona’s central midfield.

Read more from Tom at his excellent blog Purple Patch

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Arsene Wenger doesn’t like water bottles

Pep Guardiola attempts an impression of the Gunners boss, fails.

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Arsenal and Liverpool will step up their efforts to sign Barcelona winger Jeffren after the La Liga giants admitted he will leave the club this summer.

The 23-year-old wants regular first-team football and is prepared to leave the Spanish and European champions to get it.

The Spain U21 international, who tasted success in the European Championship this summer, wants to keep his fine form going.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers have been linked with him but have not made an offer.

Barcelona sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta insists he is working hard to strike a deal for all parties.

“I can assure you that the market isn’t as active as people say,” said Zubizarreta.

“We are working with his agent and we will look for the best place for him to continue his career.”

Nou Camp boss Pep Guardiola claims he is trying to buy Udinese forward Alexis Sanchez as a replacement for Jeffren and Roma-bound Bojan.

“We need a forward,” he said. “We have more players in midfield than in attack. Bojan (Krkic) and Jeffren (Suarez) both want to leave, so the attack is more important.”

Arsenal may be slight favourites, as Barcelona may include the Jeffren as part of the deal that could see Cesc Fabregas arrive at the Nou Camp.

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Arsenal have rejected a £30million bid for midfielder Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona and have demanded double that amount from the Catalan giants.

The Spanish and European champions made the verbal offer this week but it was quickly dismissed by the Gunners board.

The Nou Camp side had wanted to make a cash-plus-player deal but Arsenal are only interested in money.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has been adamant his skipper will not go but the club realise they can only hang on to the midfielder for so long.

“There was an offer and it has been turned down flat,” an Arsenal source told the Daily Star.

“They have been told to come back when they are serious with a proper offer and we will consider it.”

Pep Guardiola has made the 24-year-old his main summer target and has chased him since last summer.

Barca are considering upping their offer to £35m, but it is still unlikely to be enough for Arsenal to sell.

The Gunners demanded £60million for their talisman but it is likely they will accept a bid around the £45million mark.

The La Liga side want the deal wrapped up by July 4 but are so confident of landing Fab they have no list of alternative candidates.

Guardiola said: “The priority is Cesc because he is part of our new project. We can’t afford to stand still. But there is only so much money available.”

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Barcelona forward Lionel Messi does not believe his side is the best team in history despite their domination of the Spanish and Champions Leagues.

The 23-year-old has already won everything possible in the Barca shirt including five La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues.

It has been suggested Pep Guardiola’s side is the greatest football team ever in the history of the game, beating the likes of AC Milan, Holland and Brazil.

Since he took over the side in 2008, Barcelona have won three La Ligas, two Champions Leagues, a Copa del Rey, two Spanish Super Cups, a Uefa Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

But Messi does not think this qualifies them as the best team ever and also reveals the secret behind their success.

“I would not say we’re the best team in history because there has been great teams at different times, but we have shown that it deserves to be remembered,” he told Il Mattino.

“I try to stay calm in good times and bad. There is no secret to the great season of Barcelona, only self-reliance and hard work.”

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Try as they might Manchester United fell as all those before them had likewise as they failed to prevent Barcelona from clinching a second Champions League triumph in three seasons, once again at the expense of Sir Alex Ferguson’s men.

Ferguson’s side were looking to make up for ‘not turning up’ for their 2009 fixture with Barcelona in Rome and for 45 minutes it seemed that the Premier League champions may have what it takes to shackle their Catalan opponents but in the end they failed to contain the La Liga giants and Xavi, Lionel Messi and co. got their game in gear to romp home at Wembley.

For 25 minutes both sides put in neat passages of play and the atmosphere in the stadium built up as all those present felt the final crank up a notch. Nemanja Vidic had managed to stand tall to the advances of a free flowing Barca attack but the same could not be said of a seriously off form Patrice Evra, who’s ineptitude was felt throughout the match.

Pedro put Barcelona ahead when the attacker found himself totally unmarked and the youngster calmly slotted home but to Man United’s credit they refused to be overawed. Ferguson’s men clearly had a tactical plan to attempt to counter-attack at any opportunity and good combination play between Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney saw the England international to smash in a leveler that the game needed. A goal that was greeted with deafening cheers from the travelling Old Trafford support.

As the referee brought the half to an end the battle was delicately poised and a lot was expected as the two teams emerged for part two. Unfortunately Man United never got started. Whereas in the first half Giggs, Michael Carrick and Park Ji Sung has managed to close down Barcelona and executed some good pressing it seemed that they had run out of steam in the second half.

Evra continued to make elementary mistakes and Nemanja Vidic’s attempts to keep the Barca attack nullified all on his own were becoming more and more strained. Lionel Messi put Pep Guardiola’s side ahead when he powered to the edge of the box and hit a sweet shot past a despairing Edwin van der Sar, who’s final appearance in the pro game was turning into something of a nightmare.

David Villa killed off the game with a perfectly placed finish into the top corner and the inclusion of Nani and Paul Scholes failed to inspire a comeback and a move incisive Barcelona could have scored a goal or two on the break but preferred instead to shut up shop and play keep ball.

The final whistle was greeted with joy unbowed from Barcelona supporters and players alike and Sir Alex Ferguson and co. took the defeat on the chin, seemingly aware that they merely lost to a better team, a team at the peak of their powers.

Barcelona

Valdes – 7
Daniel Alves – 7
(Puyol 88) – Not on long enough to earn a rating
Pique – 8
Abidal – 7.5
Xavi – 9
Iniesta – 8.5
Mascherano – 8
Busquets – 8
Villa – 8.5
(Keita 86) – Not on long enough to earn a rating
Messi – 10
Pedrito – 8
(Afellay 90+2)

Man Utd

Van der Sar – 7
Evra – 4
Ferdinand – 6
Vidic – 7.5
Fabio Da Silva – 6
(Nani 69) – 6
Giggs – 7
Park Ji-Sung – 6.5
Carrick – 7
(Scholes 76) – 6
Valencia – 7
Rooney – 8
Hernandez – 6.5

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Watching the Champions League Final? at Fanatix.com

It finally happened. Jose Mourinho took on – and defeated – the machine.

Vicente Del Bosque, Carlos Quieroz, Vanderlei Luxembourgo, Fabio Capello, Bernd Schuster and Manuel Pelligrini are just a few examples from the pantheon of Real Madrid managers who have tried, and failed, to achieve sustained success at this most dictatorial of institutions.

Football’s greatest unwritten rule – and also the one that is overlooked with the frequency of a Nani dive – is that continuity and freedom at managerial level are the key ingredients to long-term success at any given club.

This season, Mourinho has periodically looked destined to be the next managerial departure from the Bernabeu having not succeeded in winning a league title and regularly clashing with the club’s board. Until now, the Portuguese coach – unquestionably one of world football’s very best – has had to battle to receive the backing he felt he needed to take on Barcelona.

So news of the departure of his political nemesis, Jorge Valdano, comes as both a pleasant surprise and a symbolic success for the role of the football manager in the modern game.

Real’s infamous President, Florentino Perez – himself guilty of inhibiting any potential success his club could have enjoyed in recent years – said of Valdano’s departure: “The experience of this just completed season demonstrated the need for more autonomy, including within the coaching unit.

“Mourinho demanded an autonomy on the sporting side like that which works with English clubs. I think for the sake of the institution that this is a reorganisation that has to be done”.

Not for one fraction of a second is he wrong. It’s board level interference that has proved to be one of the decisive factors in hindering attempts to secure the likes of Rafael Benitez and Arsene Wenger as manager, in recent times.

In a week where Carlo Ancelotti was dismissed for failing to repeat 2010’s double success again this season – where the unfortunate added ingredient of interference from a certain Russian oligarch was an obvious barrier – and where Neil Warnock’s future at Q.P.R is uncertain despite winning the Championship title, news of Real’s new approach is certainly refreshing.

It’s an approach that still needs to be stuck to; fewer clubs have signalled as many false dawns as Los Blancos and it’s a realistic concern that a minor run of unfavourable results could mean a return to their encroaching ways. But the fact that such a notoriously power-hungry institution has finally acknowledged the sense in letting a manager do his job is encouraging, nonetheless.

Football is littered with examples of interference from those who like to believe they know the game better than their manager. They let their romantic, fanciful notions influence their decision-making and compromise a manager’s good work.

Martin Jol was forced to work with a director of football at Tottenham who bought players he didn’t want or feel he needed. When the side struggled, it was Jol who solely got the blame and was replaced by Juande Ramos when the likelihood was that he could have succeeded had he been allowed to buy players of his choice. It wasn’t until Harry Redknapp was put in sole charge that the club made the top four.

Gianluca Del Nani, not Alan Curbishley, was in charge of transfers at West Ham which inevitably led to the latter’s departure. They’ll now be playing in the Championship next season, something that would have been highly unlikely if Curbishley was still there.

Abramovich bought Andrei Shevchenko for Chelsea – did he succeed? Robinho was bought for Manchester City yet neither Mark Hughes or Roberto Mancini wanted to keep him. When has Mike Ashley’s interference ever really helped Newcastle?

It’s significant that these changes have happened at Real Madrid and with Mourinho; there’s not a higher profile club and manager combination anywhere. When he succeeds – and there’s no question that he will, sooner or later, particularly if he can outlast Pep Guardiola at Barcelona – then they can serve as an example to clubs everywhere.

Valdano was by no means an innocuous figure at Real. He succeeded there both as a manager and player and is fondly thought of by many a fan, though he’ll be firmly forgotten about if a league title or the Champions League is won in the near future. Regardless, the point is that if Real’s board can somehow, somewhere, muster enough humility to see the error of their ways, any club can.

Unfortunately, there’ll always be a Silvio Berlusconi in charge at a club, always be an Abramovich. Those who leave the manager to do their job – Barcelona and Manchester United are just two examples – will continue to take the spoils.

Football is not about to undergo a cultural revolution, but this move will still encourage managers everywhere. Justice has been served.

Follow Declan Warrington on Twitter @decwarrington

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