New Everton striker aims to emulate Carlos Tevez

 

Stracqualursi (left) scored 22 goals for Tigres last season 

 

Everton new boy Denis Stracqualursi wants to emulate fellow Argentine Carlos Tevez and make a major impact in the Premier League.

The striker, 23, arrived on a season-long loan on transfer deadline day along with midfielder Royston Drenthe.
He was joint top scorer in Argentina last season with 22 goals for Tigres.
"I saw the way he [Tevez] went about the task at West Ham and the two Manchester clubs and I would like to think I can copy that model," he said.

"He is an icon at all those clubs. It is all about dying for the shirt, sweating for the club.
"I think England will suit my style.
"I'll be trying to score as many goals as possible to help Everton."
Stracqualursi is only one of two frontline forwards available to Everton boss David Moyes - along with Louis Saha - after Jermaine Beckford joined Leicester and Yakubu departed for Blackburn.
But he does not feel any extra pressure, adding: "Players are quite powerful and strong here and football is played quite a bit in the air. I am pretty good in the air.

 

Drenthe's Real Madrid contract ends next summer 

  "I had a pretty good season in terms of goalscoring in a team which was fighting to stay alive and I have never been one to shy away from targets.
"I don't think there is any extra pressure. I am a reasonably confident guy and I see it as a challenge."
Netherlands international Drenthe is looking to reinvigorate his career as his contract with Real Madrid will not be renewed at the end of this season.
"I have something to prove because my time at Real Madrid has ended already," he said. "I think Everton is a really good and important step for me."

Bolton boss Owen Coyle urges Gary Cahill to ignore transfer gossip

 

Cahill joined Bolton in £5m move from Aston Villa in in January 2008 

 

Gary Cahill must forget about recent transfer speculation if he is to hold down his England place, according to his manager at Bolton, Owen Coyle.

Arsenal and Spurs were both recently reportedly interested in signing him.
The 25-year-old was hugely impressive during England's 3-0 win over Bulgaria.
Coyle said: "The reason he was in the squad was because of his performances for Bolton and that is what he has to continue to do to become an integral part of Fabio Capello's squad."
With his Bolton deal expiring next June, Cahill is expected to be the subject of more speculation during the next few months.
And while Coyle accepts it will be difficult for him to hang onto Cahill, he does not have any concerns about the former Aston Villa man's focus.

Gary is in the driving seat in regards his contract and speculation won't go away but it doesn't faze me

Owen Coyle

 

"There might have been a tinge of disappointment as there was a lot for speculation about this protracted move he was going to have," Coyle said.
"When that didn't come to fruition it said a lot about him in terms of mentally preparing himself (for international duty) and besides the goal he put in a huge performance for England.
"To have a Bolton player score a goal for England for the first time since 1959 is a fantastic achievement and I'm delighted for Gary as well."
In January, Cahill will be able to speak to foreign clubs about a move and at the end of the season he can leave the Reebok Stadium for nothing.
While Coyle has not ruled out offering him new contract he knows the player is keen to test himself in the Champions League.
He said: "Gary is in the driving seat in regards his contract and speculation won't go away but it doesn't faze me.
"If something comes hard and fast and concrete then I'll deal with it head-on - we've been very open regarding the situation."

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere out for two to three months

 

Wilshere was injured during Arsenal's friendly with New York Red Bulls

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere says his ankle injury will keep him out of action for up to three months.

The England player sustained the injury in the Gunners' pre-season friendly against New York Red Bulls on 31 July.
It was only expected to rule him out for a few days, but has proved far more troublesome for the 19-year-old.
"I will be out for around 2-3 months! I am working hard in the gym to stay fit and I am gutted but I will be back stronger," Wilshere wrote on Twitter.
Wilshere's absence is a significant blow to Arsenal considering the summer departure of key midfielders Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.
Like Fabregas and Nasri, Wilshere was a first-team regular for the Gunners last season and Arsenal have already lost two of their three Premier League games this term.

JACK WILSHERE - APPEARANCES

ARSENAL 2010-11: 49
GOALS: 2
ENGLAND 2010-11: 5

However, the deadline-day arrivals of Chelsea's Yossi Benayoun and Everton's Mikel Arteta should ensure Arsenal are suitably covered in that area until Wilshere's return.
Wilshere is wearing a protective boot to guard the affected right ankle, which Wenger claims was first damaged before the US pre-season trip, when the youngster was on England duty against Switzerland.
Wenger won his running battle with England Under-21 counterpart Stuart Pearce over Wilshere's selection for the summer's European Championships in Denmark, but the rest he was able to enjoy in the close season was not sufficient to cure the problem.
He will now miss crucial matches for club and country, including England's final Euro 2012 qualifying group game in Montenegro next month, and Champions League and Premier League fixtures for Arsenal.
Speaking just prior to Arsenal confirming Wilshere would need an extended break, his club colleague Theo Walcott expressed hope that Wilshere would be back soon.
Walcott said at an England press conference: "Jack's a very important player for us. It's a shame he's had this ankle problem.
"But he's a bright lad - he'll be back as soon as he can.
"We're going to miss him but he's professional enough to get on with it."

Spurs blow as Van der Vaart is ruled out for six weeks

 

Van der Vaart was Tottenham's top goal-scorer last season with 13 goals

Spurs midfielder Rafael van der Vaart could be out of action for up to six weeks after suffering a hamstring tear.

The Netherlands international suffered the injury during last weekend's 5-1 home defeat by Manchester City.
Tottenham are bottom of the Premier League after losing their opening matches to Manchester United and City.

Tottenham's upcoming fixtures

. 10/9 Wolves (A) Premier League . 15/9 PAOK (A) Europa League
. 18/9 Liverpool (H) Prem
. 20/9 Stoke City (A) Carling Cup
. 24/9 Wigan Athletic (A) - Prem
. 29/9 Shamrock Rovers (A) Europa
. 2/10 Arsenal(H) Prem
. 16/10 Newcastle Utd (A) Prem
. 20/10 Rubin Kazan (H) Europa

Manager Harry Redknapp told The Sun newspaper: "It's the last thing we need. It's a bad injury and he was in good form for us."
The attacking midfielder has been a major hit since signing from Real Madrid for £8m in the 2010 summer transfer window.
Van der Vaart is set to miss Premier League games against Wolves, Liverpool and Wigan, and the north London derby against Arsenal at White Hart Lane.
He will also be unavailable for the start of Spurs' Europa League campaign, including games against PAOK Salonika and Shamrock Rovers.

Edin Dzeko and Sir Alex Ferguson win Barclays Premier League awards

 

Manchester City's Edin Dzeko has scored six goals in three Premier League games, despite netting just twice last season 

 

Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko has won the Player of the Month prize for August after scoring six goals in the first three Premier League games.

In a Manchester double, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson took Manager of the Month after winning all three matches.
Dzeko, 25, joined City from Wolfsburg for £27m in January and only scored two league goals before this season.
And his goals have helped City to second place in the table, only behind United on goal difference.
The Bosnian striker netted in City's opening fixtures against Swansea and Bolton, with Roberto Mancini's team winning 4-0 and 3-2 respectively.

EDIN DZEKO FACTFILE

• Born on 17 March 1986 in Sarajevo
• Debut for FK Željezničar in 2003
• Joined FK Teplice in 2005
• Top scorer in the Gambrinus Liga and joins VfL Wolfsburg for €4m in July 2007
• Joined Man City in January 2011 for £27m

He then hit four goals in the 5-1 demolition of Tottenham at White Hart Lane.
United have been in equally-impressive form, beating West Brom 2-1 at The Hawthorns, then defeating Spurs 3-0 and Arsenal 8-2 at Old Trafford.
It is the 26th time Ferguson has won the Manager of the Month award since its inception in 1993. He has also been Manager of the Season 10 times.

Steve Kean happy with his Blackburn transfer business

 

Kean's Blackburn have lost all three of their first Premier League matches 

 

Blackburn Rovers manager Steve Kean says that he is delighted with the additions that he has made to his squad over the summer.

Rovers have signed eight players this summer, including deadline day trio Yakubu, Scott Dann and Jordan Slew, and let 12 leave Ewood Park.
Kean told Radio Lancashire: "People thought we were going to lose players. We've managed to keep the majority.

"We've managed to bring in fantastic quality right on the last day."
The signing of centre-back Dann could potentially become Blackburn's record transfer based on appearances and various incentives.

Kean said: "I've worked with him before. He's a fantastic leader but more importantly he's a top player."
Nigeria striker Yakubu agreed a three-year deal with Rovers after being out of favour for almost a year at Everton.
"When we found out his was available we moved swiftly," Kean said. "To get somebody with a track record of scoring goals at this level is great.

"Everybody knows that if you can get him in the box and get him the service then he scores. So I think it's a brilliant signing."
The capture of 18-year-old striker Jordan Slew from Sheffield United for around £1m will see him join the club's development squad.

Meireles and Arteta among transfer deadline day movers

 

Meireles left Liverpool in one of the deadline's dramatic and surprising moves 

 

Raul Meireles and Mikel Arteta swapped the city of Liverpool for London in dramatic deals on a busy transfer deadline day.

Meireles moved from Liverpool to Chelsea, while Everton's Arteta joined Arsenal along with Chelsea midfielder Yossi Benayoun.
In a frantic final day of the transfer window, Premier League clubs took their summer spending to £485m, business analysts Deloitte said.
That outlay represents a 33% rise on the same period in 2010, an increase of £120m.
Arsenal also signed Germany defender Per Mertesacker and left-back Andre Santos from Fenerbahce for £6.2m, as Arsene Wenger reshaped his squad after Sunday's 8-2 defeat by Manchester United.
Manchester City completed the free transfer of ex-Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves and allowed out-of-favour forward Craig Bellamy to rejoin former club Liverpool.

WHO WENT WHERE?

A complete list of all the deadline-day moves
Transfers - August 2011

Two players departed Anfield for France, Joe Cole moving to Ligue 1 champions Lille on a season-long loan and midfielder Christian Poulsen joining Evian.
Manchester United did not make any deadline-day deals, with Inter Milan's Wesley Sneijder revealing on Twitter that he would be staying in Italy.
Sport pundit Martin Keown said he has reservations about how many of the late transfers will prove to be successful.
"On the whole, deals involved players with Premier League experience already," he commented. "That indicates what clubs are after at the moment.
"We have got to see how well these deals pan out, of course. You can be sure that a lot of them will not turn out to be successes.
"But I do not think we have had this many late signings in the past and the day really had a feeling of last-chance saloon about it.
"We will also remember this transfer window for the deals that never happened. Despite lots of speculation, Carlos Tevez, Luka Modric and Wesley Sneijder have all stayed where they are - at Manchester City, Spurs and Inter Milan respectively."

I am absolutely washed out. I've been on the road at 5am every morning and it's a waste of time going to bed

Harry Redknapp 

One club who looked outside of the Premier League to bolster their attacking options was Fulham, who bought Bryan Ruiz from FC Twente for £10.6m, beating off a late rival bid from Newcastle United. The Cottagers also recruited Orlando Sa for free from Porto.
Stoke broke their transfer record to sign Tottenham's Peter Crouch for an initial £10m - a fee which could rise to £12m - and added Wilson Palacios from Spurs for around £6m.
Spurs also let Jermaine Jenas and Alan Hutton move to Aston Villa, the latter opting for the West Midlands over a move to Fulham.
Tottenham winger David Bentley joined West Ham on a season-long loan.
Spurs completed a deal for West Ham United's Scott Parker, but failed to sign Bolton defender Gary Cahill.
Sunderland ended their search for a striker when Nicklas Bendtner moved from Arsenal on a year-long loan deal.
Arsenal also let young forward Joel Campbell, who only signed last week, join French side Lorient on loan, following team-mate Gilles Sunu, who made a permanent switch to the Ligue 1 outfit.

AUGUST DEADLINE DAY BIGGEST MOVES

• 2010: Asamoah Gyan [Rennes - Sunderland] £13m
• 2009: Richard Dunne [Manchester City - Aston Villa] £6m
• 2008: Robinho [Real Madrid - Manchester City] £32.5m
• 2007: Glen Johnson [Chelsea - Portsmouth] £4m
• 2006: Ashley Cole [Arsenal - Chelsea] £5m p/e
• 2005: Michael Owen [Real Madrid - Newcastle] £17m
• 2004: Wayne Rooney [Everton - Manchester United] £27m
• 2003: Claude Makelele [Real Madrid - Chelsea] £16.6m

QPR added Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips and Sunderland's Anton Ferdinand to their squad. Their move for Spurs defender Sebastien Bassong fell through due to Spurs' failure to sign Cahill.
As well as keeping hold of their prized defensive asset Cahill, Bolton added new faces by sealing a permanent deal for Liverpool striker David Ngog and a loan switch for Chelsea midfielder Gael Kakuta.
Blackburn raided Goodison Park to sign striker Yakubu, and also completed moves for Birmingham defender Scott Dann and Sheffield United frontman Jordan Slew.
Everton made two loan signings: Real Madrid's Royston Drenthe on loan and striker Denis Stracqualursi from Argentine side Tigres. The Toffees let Jermaine Beckford join Leicester.
Wigan completed three deals, signing Celtic winger Shaun Maloney for a fee of £1m, Almeria winger Albert Crusat for an undisclosed fee and Chelsea defender Patrick van Aanholt on loan.