Inter Milan skipper Jose Mourinho, expected by many to leave Serie A and head to Real Madrid this summer, has already started scouting some new team members. According to the Daily Mail, Mourinho is looking to woo Chelsea legend Frank Lampard on a £30 million deal.

Mourinho and Lampard spent three years together when the Portuguese managed Chelsea from 2004-2007. Current Real Madrid skipper Manuel Pellegrini is all but fired following a Round-Of-16 Champions League defeat to Lyon. Mourhino’s last game with Inter Milan will probably be, ironically, the Champions League Final against Bayern Munich at the Bernabéu (Real Madrid’s stadium).

“Mourhino has always loved Frank, who would have to think long and hard if he was asked to sign for him at Real Madrid,” a source The Daily Mail described as “close to the deal” said.

Lampard is on a scoring tear in the EPL this season with 21 goals. With Mourhino still at Inter Milan and Lampard becoming Mr. Chelsea for many supporters following John Terry’s fall from grace it’s difficult to see this materializing just yet.

Hodgson Denies Liverpool Link

Fulham’s dream run through the Europa League this year has raised the profile of manager Roy Hodgson. Liverpool, who are looking to move on now that Rafa Benitez is all but gone, have reportedly approached Hodgson as Benitez’s replacement.  But the English manager denies any interest in leaving Craven Cottage.

“I am happy here at Fulham,” he said. “I have got a contract here at Fulham. I am happy with the job I am doing.” Fulham are playing in their first cup final in a European tournament when they take on Athletico Madrid on May 12.

Given Hopes To Return By Next Season

Republic of Ireland keeper Shay Given has had succesful surgery on his dislocated surgery and hopes to be back for Manchester City before the start of next season. “I just have to get back fit again for the start of the season. I know it will be tight but I will do everything I can to get back in time and hopefully I will do it,” said Given.

The goalkeeper said that his arm remained out of socket for nearly an hour in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

Given has been stellar for Manchester City this season and will also be anxious to return for Ireland’s Euro 2012 qualifying campaign which kicks off September 7 against Andorra.

Sheffield Wednesday Relegated To First Division

Crystal Palace ensured their spot in the Championship next season while simultaneously sending Sheffield Wednesday down to League One with a 2-2 draw in front of a sold-out crowd Sunday afternoon.

The crucial point was a rare bright spot for a Palace club who is entering Administration and face serious doubts about their future. A testy moment came at the end of the game when several dozen supporters from opposing sides clashed on the field. No one was arrested and police quelled the situation quickly.

Don’t panic, I’m not going to go all Oprah on you all, but I’ve got a confession to make that a man of my age can’t hide. Every 4 years, the World Cup comes around and over here in Europe we’ve a company called Panini who make sticker books for most major tournaments and leagues. Since the 1980′s I used to collect them until about 1988 until the surly teenager in me decided I was far too mature to muck about with such childish entertainment. No more swapping  Ian Rush for Gary Lineker in the school yard, oh no. I’d got beer, music and girls to keep me interested instead.

I know in the States that the big thing for junior sports fans is trading cards, which have only recently taken off here in the UK, so I’m unsure as to what anyone based in North America will make of them or even know what they are, but in Europe they’re big business. Yet, since the 1998 World Cup, I’ve always bought a Panini World Cup sticker book. I can’t help myself and I got the latest one last week. No really, I did.

Of course these days, the Internet is here and I can trawl through cyberspace laughing away at some of the ridiculous haircuts, mustaches and kits of yesteryear. There is such a wave of nostalgia for these sticker books that I’ve even seen articles from Germany discussing the way players used to look, which you can read at Bild’s website here and see if you recognise any of the names mentioned!!

It’s just weird that here I am with all the modern entertainment I have at my disposal, from my X-Box, to Digital TV, DVD’s and my I-pod that something so basic, so simple should still have such an emotional attachment to me. On the Guardian website the other week, someone sent in a link to this fantastic site which has scanned the entire Italia 90 sticker book online! A virtual reality treasure trove of memories, both good and bad of such an amazing tournament.Have a scroll through it, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

That was probably the catalyst for me to delve back in to trying, once again to complete the album, which I know now I won’t do, even though I tell myself I shall. It’s amazing that something so trivial can transport you back to a more innocent time and looking back you can see so many names that have drifted away in to the depths of time.

Grown men all over the UK have started to secretly pretend they’ve got kids now to try and cover up their sticker based addictions, as this current thread on a Crystal Palace message board proves. I am not alone in my addiction, though I doubt I can seek counseling over such vices but it’s nice to know I’m not the saddest man out there. After purchasing my latest sticker book, I was disappointed to only get 2 England players out of 70 stickers which means of course that’ll keep buying them! The seminal British magazine When Saturday Comes has also seen some of its contributors weigh in with some memories of those days too. An amusing discussion is still trundling along here.

For me, it’s a fundamental part of the World Cup experience for fans over here young and old and even now, nearly 30 years on from my first sticker book, Espana 1982, it’s heartwarming to see the Panini World Cup sticker book on the shelves in stores. It’s one of those things that sets the clock ticking down towards the kick off to the tournament and with it, a little bit of me thinks back to those faraway days of swapping stickers with school friends.

Fulham has unveiled their new away shirt for the 2008/2009 season. The new shirt was first worn by Fulham last night in their 0-0 friendly match against Crystal Palace, which was a testimonial for Palace favorite Dougie Freedman.

Designed by Nike and sponsored by LG, the new Fulham away shirt is black and red, and can be pre-ordered from July 30th through the club website for delivery before August 14th.

You can find the widest selection of Premier League shirts for sale via the EPL Talk Shop.

What are your thoughts about the new Fulham away strip? Share your feedback by clicking the comments link below.

Andy Johnson is on the brink of joining Fulham from Everton. The clubs have already agreed a £10.5 million transfer fee, so all that’s left is for Johnson to agree personal terms. Unless another club steps in with a higher offer in the next 48 hours, Johnson will be wearing the white shirt of Fulham very shortly.

Personally, I feel that £10.5 million is too much for Johnson. The player was at the top of his game when he played for Crystal Palace although many of his goals came from penalties. At Everton, he never really lived up to his potential and there were so many matches where he came agonizingly close to scoring but just couldn’t put the ball into the back of the net. Still, while at Everton, he scored 17 goals in 61 appearances.

The 27-year old striker has seen the best of his days. It’s possible he may shine at Fulham, especially as he slots in to fill the striker role vacated by Brian McBride. But I don’t see it and I don’t hold out much hope for his future success. Johnson has lost most of his speed and isn’t as razor-sharp in front of goal as he used to be.

For Fulham, £10.5 million is a massive amount of money for the club to spend. Let’s hope that Roy Hodgson has made a wise decision.

Tottenham Hotspur has announced the signing of John Bostock from Crystal Palace. The 16-year-old attacking midfielder made his debut for Palace in October 2007 and is a highly regarded player.

Both Chelsea and Barcelona were rumored to be trying to sign Bostock, so this is a excellent coup by Spurs. Bostock made four appearances for Crystal Palace and has made appearances in the England u-16 team and has captained the u-17 team. In his first game for Palace against Cardiff in October, Bostock made history by becoming the youngest player ever to play for Crystal Palace, aged 15.

Over the past 30 days, Tottenham has been the leaders in the transfer market. In late April they signed Croatian midfielder Luka Modric. And, according to The Sun newspaper, the club has signed Giovani Dos Santos from Barcelona.