Premier League - News and Rumors

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Mulai musim depan Premier League ganti logo, tanpa sponsor Barclays lagi. Gimana pendapat kalian?







Wajah Baru Premier League Untuk Musim 2016/17

Hari ini telah diresmikan sebuah logo baru untuk Liga Premier, yang akan digunakan mulai musim 2016/17 dan seterusnya.

Dengan menggandeng perusahaan global DesignStudio dan Robin Brand Consultants, Liga Inggris telah menciptakan sebuah logo yang lebih berani, termasuk lambang singa yang terkesan lebih modern, simbol yang merupakan bagian warisan turun-temurun dari kompetisi, di mana kali ini penampilannya lebih fleksibel baik untuk format digital maupun siaran.



"Mulai musim depan, kami akan menghilangkan nama sponsor, dan kompetisi akan dikenal hanya dengan nama Premier League, sebuah keputusan yang memberikan kesempatan untukmempertimbangkan bagaimana kami ingin menampilkan diri sebagai sebuah organisasi dan kompetisi," kata direktur Premier League, Richard Masters.

"Kami sangat senang dengan hasilnya. Identitas visual yang relevan, modern dan fleksibel, yang akan membantu kami mengungkapkan rasa terimakasih kami pada semua pihak yang telah berkontribusi di Liga Premier.

"Kami berharap dapat berbagi rincian lebih lanjut untuk logo dan berbagai aspek lain dalam beberapa bulan mendatang."

Pendiri dan CEO DesignStudio, Paul Stafford, mengatakan bahwa perilisan ini baru awal saja, dan akan lebih banyak lagi menjelang dimulainya musim baru Liga Premier.

"Tujuan kami adalah untuk menciptakan sebuah identitas yang mewakili semua pihak yang ikut ambil bagian dalam salah satu liga paling bergengsi di dunia," kata Stafford. "Dengan tampilan simbol khas Singa yang baru dan terkesan lebih segar, kami telah menciptakan sebuah identitas yang ditujukan untuk memenuhi tuntutan dan harapan di masa yang akan datang. Pada saat bersamaan tetap setia terhadap sejarah dan warisan-warisan Premier League."

http://id.premierleague.com/in-id/news/news/2015-16/February/090216-new-look-for-premier-league-for-2016-2017.html

[Andi Istiabudi]

Logo baru Premier League unsur desain modernnya begitu terasa.
Simple tapi elegan, beda banget dengan logo ISL yang warnanya ala gado-gado

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Premier League launches new logo for next season as lion is given a modern makeover after Barclays sponsorship ends

* Premier League clubs agreed a new central sponsorship strategy last July
* In 2016, England's top tier will be known simply as 'The Premier League'

The Premier League has launched a new logo which will be used from next season.

The fresh new design includes a modern take on the lion icon – a symbol that is part of the competition’s heritage dating back to its launch in 1992.

The crowned lion has been a prominent feature of the Premier League logo since its inception, representing the relationship between the league and the English Football Association - whose logo features three lions.



The Premier League has launched a new logo which will be used from next season onwards



The fresh new design includes a modern take on the lion icon – a symbol that is part of the league’s heritage



How the new logo could look on the Premier League badges from next season

Premier League clubs agreed a new central sponsorship strategy last July which included a move away from a title sponsorship model.

Instead of long-time backers Barclays, the Premier League will have a roster of secondary rights partners from next season onwards.

From next season the Premier League will have seven main sponsors instead of one title sponsor. Two - Nike and EA Sports - have already been announced with five more to be named in the coming months.

Barclays decided not to renew their £40million-a-year deal which runs until the end of the current season.




The first Premier League logo introduced in 1992 and was then refreshed for the first time in 2001




The third re-design was in 2004 when Barclays became lead sponsor and the current logo introduced in 2007

The bank agreed a £120m three-year deal in 2012 for the rights - an increase of almost 50 per cent on their previous £82m contract.

This follows the top flight turning down a £45m-a-year offer from drinks brand Diageo, having wanted £60m.

Barclays have been associated as lead sponsors of the Premier League since 2001 when it was known as the 'Barclaycard Premiership' and then became the 'Barclays Premier League' in 2004.

Before the involvement of the banking giant, lager brand Carling were the lead sponsors between 1993 and 2001.

The decision to have no lead sponsor also makes it easier for the Premier League to communicate to their global audience.

The move reflects the organisation's desire to mirror major American sports leagues like the NBA and NFL in presenting a 'clean' brand.



From next season onwards, England's top tier will be known simply as 'The Premier League'

'From next season we will move away from title sponsorship and the competition will be known simply as the Premier League, a decision which provided the opportunity to consider how we wanted to present ourselves as an organisation and competition,' said Richard Masters, Premier League managing director.

'We are very pleased with the outcome: a visual identity which is relevant, modern and flexible that will help us celebrate everyone that makes the Premier League.

'We look forward to sharing more details of our new positioning in the coming months.'

The Premier League last changed its visual identity/logo in 2007.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3438271/Premier-League-launches-fresh-new-look-season-includes-modern-lion-icon.html

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Winter break is back on the agenda as FA and Premier League prepare for fresh talks

* The issue of fixture congestion has come to the fore again this season
* Negative reaction to mooted changes to FA Cup including axing replays
* A two-week break in January could be added to help players rest

New talks about the possibility of a winter break will take place between the FA and the Premier League.

The issue of fixture congestion is back on the agenda after the public reacted with horror to suggestions that changes may have to be made to the FA Cup to free up space on the football calendar. The problem will be highlighted on Sunday when Manchester City field a team packed with Under 21 players for their fifth-round clash at Chelsea.

Sportsmail understands that discussions will soon be held about finding a way to fit a two-week break into the schedule in order to allow players to recharge their batteries every January.



Wayne Rooney is the latest Premier League player to suffer injury after a hectic winter schedule

The Premier League and the FA are aware that something has to give for this to happen but both are keen to explore possibilities. One idea is to preserve the traditional Christmas and New Year league matches, break for two weeks in early January and then return with a high-profile FA Cup third-round weekend later in the month.

The FA do not want to scrap FA Cup replays while the Football League also have their own flagship competition, the Capital One Cup to consider.

However, all possibilities will be on the table, including lengthening the domestic season and talking about ways of limiting the extent to which TV companies dictate when games are played.

FA Cup weekends have been spread over four days on occasion this season, with a televised game taking place on the Friday and Monday nights.

The amount of money paid by the BBC and BT Sport for the rights to FA Cup games means they must be given licence to maximise viewing figures, but there is a feeling among some of the game’s leading figures that the spread of matches is becoming a little thin.

With the broadcast deals not due to expire for more than two years, there can be no imminent change. However, the FA, Premier League and Football League are committed to dialogue.

Meanwhile, in terms of this weekend, the FA have indicated privately that they will look sympathetically on City’s decision to field a severely under-strength team at Stamford Bridge.

City manager Manuel Pellegrini has said he will play a mixture of first-team squad men and Under 21 players to protect his stars ahead of a Champions League game in Kiev on Wednesday and the Capital One Cup final against Liverpool that follows on Sunday. It is understood that as many as seven Under 21 players are being considered for selection.

In normal circumstances, the FA may take a dim view of this, but after locking horns with City 10 days ago over the initial scheduling of the game the governing body realise that Pellegrini finds himself in an invidious position ahead of a week that may go a long way to determining how his final season at the club pans out.

One final twist would emerge if Sunday’s game is drawn. City’s schedule only has one space for a replay between now and the FA Cup quarter-finals on March 12: the midweek immediately prior to that date. However, Chelsea play Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on March 9.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3453609/Winter-break-agenda-FA-Premier-League-prepare-fresh-talks.html

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David Cameron urges Premier League clubs to ensure ticket prices are fair for fans

* Football supporters have protested against rising ticket prices this season
* Prime Minister David Cameron has urged clubs to talk with fan groups
* Cameron insisted it is the 'hard work and the money of millions of loyal supporters' which has contributed to football's success

David Cameron has called on Premier League clubs to be fairer to supporters when setting ticket prices.

The spiralling cost of watching football has been under scrutiny in recent weeks, with Liverpool fans last month staging a mass walk-out during a match in protest at plans to charge £77 for some tickets.

The Prime Minister agreed to look into the rising prices following a request by shadow sports minister Clive Efford.



Prime Minister David Cameron has urged clubs to be fair to football fans when setting prices for match tickets

And in a letter to the Labour MP, Mr Cameron called for greater dialogue between clubs and supporters' groups in a bid to keep ticket costs at a 'sensible level'.

He wrote: 'At a time when there is more money flowing into the Premier League than ever before, it should not be forgotten that this success is built upon the hard work and the money of millions of loyal supporters.

'Clubs need to ensure that their ticket policies provide the right balance between value for supporters and generating the income necessary to sustain their businesses.'

Mr Cameron did not back Mr Efford's proposal to have mandatory supporter representation on the boards of clubs.



Crystal Palace supporters protest against a hike in rising ticket prices at Selhurst Park earlier this season

However, he has called for regular meetings between clubs and supporters' groups, starting next season, as recommended by a recent report from the government-formed Expert Working Group.

Mr Cameron added: 'In the meantime, we will continue to monitor both the progress against the specific commitments made by the football authorities in the Expert Working Group, and the ongoing relationships of clubs and their supporters.

'Keeping the cost of football at a sensible level should be an important part of that.'

The Football Supporters' Federation welcomed the Prime Minister's comments and urged clubs to act accordingly.
Cameron insists clubs must ensure ticket prices provide value for fans as well as generating sufficient income

It said: 'Many fans feel they're paying too much for their match ticket so we're pleased to hear that the PM has warned the Premier League to remember that its success is built on the loyalty of supporters.

'David Cameron is correct to say that clubs must balance value for supporters against generating income - and the top flight's record-breaking £8billion-plus media deal means they have more than enough income to reduce ticket costs.

'Clubs should also take note of the PM's belief that there needs to be stronger dialogue between clubs and fans - it's something clubs have signed up to via an Expert Working Group and they must deliver on that commitment.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3475244/David-Cameron-urges-Premier-League-clubs-ensure-ticket-prices-fair-fans.html

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Crystal Palace and Newcastle United let in the most late goals in the Premier League while West Ham United are the least likely to concede in the closing stages

* Crystal Palace and Newcastle have both conceded 14 late league goals
* The two lowly sides let in one more each in the last round of matches
* West Ham have conceded four in the last 15 minutes of games this term
* Leicester and Tottenham - praised for their fitness - have let in nine each

It was another weekend of woe for Crystal Palace and Newcastle United as they failed to stop the rot in the Premier League with home defeats to Liverpool and Bournemouth, respectively.

Palace, who have yet to win in the league since beating Stoke City on December 19, were subjected to another loss thanks to Christian Benteke's 96th minute penalty, while Newcastle were roundly beaten 3-1 at St James' Park, with an injury time strike from Charlie Daniels clinching the victory.

Those late goals are symptomatic of where the two teams' main problems lie this season, with Alan Pardew and Steve McClaren's men both letting in 14 goals in the last 15 minutes of league games - more than any other side.



Our graphic shows how Crystal Palace and Newcastle have been most prone to conceding in the last 15 minutes of games, having both let in a total of 14 so far this season




Arsenal's defence, which includes Per Mertesacker, left, is one of the meanest at the end of games, while Chelsea's, often led by captain John Terry, right, has leaked 11 goals in the last quarter of an hour

The Eagles sit in 15th place in the table, with 33 points from 29 matches, while the Magpies wallow in 19th position with 24 from 29.

Looking at recent form, Pardew's club have collected just two points from their past six games, and McClaren's have accumulated just three, after a solitary 1-0 home win over West Bromwich Albion.

But while that tells one story, looking at the number of goals that they have both let in in the closing stages over the course of the season is equally illuminating.

Palace supporters can look back ruefully at Selhurst Park affairs, such as against West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, in which they conceded two goals in the last 10 minutes after going into the final moments all square at 1-1.

Newcastle fans can too, because they saw their side slump to a 2-2 draw at home to Chelsea with substitutes Ramires and Willian getting the Blues out of jail late on, and capitulate against Everton at Goodison Park, with two Ross Barkley goals in the dying embers signalling a 3-0 defeat early last month.

Interestingly, the Premier League's top two teams, Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur - roundly praised for their organisation, hunger and fitness - have both conceded nine late goals this term.

However, more often than not their displays earlier in the game got them out of jail, preventing them from losing all three points.

West Ham United, whose consecutive victories over Sunderland, Tottenham and Everton over the past fortnight sees them climb to fifth in the table, chasing a Champions League spot, are statistically the least likely to concede in the closing stages, having done so just four times.

Slaven Bilic has worked wonders at the Boleyn Ground, and has assembled a well-choreographed defensive unit, with Adrian's form between the sticks, Angelo Ogbonna marshalling the back line and Mark Noble controlling things in the middle, meaning that the Irons have had more late shut-outs than any other team this campaign.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3480492/Crystal-Palace-Newcastle-United-let-late-goals-Premier-League-West-Ham-United-likely-concede-closing-stages.html

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How much are your suits paid? Sportsmail reveals the top earning chiefs at each Premier League club

* Sportsmail has uncovered the Premier League's highest paid club chiefs
* Manchester United vice-chairman Ed Woodward leads the way
* Sunderland's Margaret Byrne lost a pay packet of £663,000 per year
* The owner and directors don’t draw pay at Crystal Palace

Sunderland's Margaret Byrne resigned over the Adam Johnson scandal on Tuesday, costing her a pay packet of £663,000 per year as chief executive.

If that is an eye-watering sum for somebody largely unknown outside of Wearside, you may be surprised to know that the best-paid ‘suit’ at nine other clubs earns even more.

The ‘big six’ pay most, from Ed Woodward’s £2.5m a year for running Manchester United to Ian Ayre’s £1.2m at Liverpool, with the CEOs or equivalent at Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea all earning somewhere in-between.




United's Ed Woodward (left) is the league's highest paid suit, while Chelsea's Marina Granovskaia is only fifth




We know these details because clubs publish the remuneration level of their top-paid director in annual financial accounts, even though they don’t always name them.

City’s CEO Ferran Soriano is not a director but we can guesstimate his £2.5m salary (that’s a modest appraisal) from what one of his predecessors, Garry Cook, earned.

Ivan Gazidis’s pay at Arsenal and that of his Spurs counterpart Daniel Levy are matters of public record.

The salary of Roman Abramovich’s right-hand woman Marina Granovskaia, on the other hand is based on departed CEO Ron Gourlay’s income.

Club accounts elsewhere show unheralded executives at Norwich, West Brom and Stoke are on enormous wages, and six figures are common everywhere.

That is except for Crystal Palace, where the owner-directors don’t draw pay.

Do these people deserve it? With every club set to be inside the world’s wealthiest 30 clubs from 2016-17 when the new TV deals start, they ultimately are responsible for keeping their clubs on that gravy train.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3484616/How-suits-paid-Sportsmail-reveals-earning-chiefs-Premier-League-club.html

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Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United fans will save around £300 a year under new away ticket price cap... but what about other Premier League supporters?

* Arsenal fans are the biggest savers as club subsidies see savings top £365
* Even fans of smaller clubs will see a drop in cost of watching away games
* Premier League chairman unanimously agreed to new pricing cap
* New plan could cost clubs as little as £2million collectively
* However next season's bumper new TV deal means clubs could give tickets to away fans for free and still be £38m richer each

The Premier League have announced today that ticket prices for league games next season will be capped at a maximum of £30.

This has been greeted with a mixture of delight and relief by supporters, who have long complained about the cost of going to top-flight games. Nick Harris investigates the devil in the detail.

Q: So what does this mean to ordinary fans? Will every away ticket next season cost £30?

A: No, the new cap means that away tickets will cost of maximum of £30. Quite a few away tickets are already available at less than that, even at Arsenal. For Category C games at the Emirates this season, for example - when 'smaller' clubs visit, clubs like Bournemouth and Leicester - the away prices are £26 per seat. So tickets that are already less than £30 will probably stay less. But many other tickets, like Arsenal's notorious £62 away ticket for the visits of Chelsea, the Manchester clubs and the other 'big' teams, will be slashed in price to £30. Other expensive clubs like Chelsea, West Ham, Spurs and Manchester City will also cut away prices to a maximum of £30 from much higher.

Q: How much will this save fans of each club, on average?




A: It varies from club to club, but it looks probable that Arsenal's traveling fans will be saving the most next season. As things stand, an Arsenal fan going to 19 away games and paying adult non-concessionary rates will be paying £861 for those 19 tickets this season, or £45.32 per match. Next season, not only will that drop to £30 a ticket, but Arsenal themselves will also subsidise a further £4 per traveling fan, so each away ticket will actually cost each Gunner £26. The total saving will be £367 per fan.

Q: What about savings for fans of other clubs?



All Premier League fans will make a saving next season, supporters of the smallest clubs saving at least £70

A: Manchester United fans are paying around £880 this season to go to 19 away games in the league; they'll save £310 next season. Liverpool fans will save £303 each, Manchester City fans £302 each and Chelsea fans £299 each. As things stand, the fans of the 'big' clubs get charged most on the road, so they'll save most. Norwich and Bournemouth fans are currently charged least on the road, at between £638 and £646 for 19 away tickets, but even they will be saving £70 to £80 next season with the £30 cap in place.

Q: Who decided to introduce the £30 cap?



Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore chaired the meeting that saw clubs agree to cap prices

A: The clubs, collectively and unanimously, at a secret meeting on Wednesday morning. They did so after much encouragement from Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore, who has long accepted that some fans rightly feel ripped off by sky-high prices, and who also knows the Premier League clubs' riches give them an opportunity to give something back.

Q: So it's a selfless gesture then, the clubs giving back to the fans?

A: No! It's good PR. But it also addresses a real problem that while Premier League grounds are 96% sold out, the capacity being used away is closer to 80%, or just above. Or in other words, nearly all home tickets are sold for every game, but for the last few years and longer, as many as one in five away tickets have been unsold, with pricing one factor within that.

Q: Did the protests at Liverpool and elsewhere force the clubs' hand?



The issue of ticket cost came to the fore when Liverpool fans walked out of Anfield to protest increasing prices

A: They obviously helped to focus a few minds. It should be stressed that those protests were about proposed rises to home prices. But the fans' walkout there did have an effect: it looked terrible on TV and in international coverage. It showed clearly that fans have had enough. It also showed clubs a sign of things to come unless they acted.

Q: Who will pay for the price cuts?

A: Ultimately, the clubs will take a hit to the amount of money they earn on the sales of away tickets. BUT .... and it's a significant but, it won't necessarily be that much. We estimate Arsenal make around £1.8m to £1.9m per season on the sales of away tickets. It might be a bit more. It might be a bit less. Only Arsenal know how many tickets and at what rates (including concessions) they sell. But it's that ball park, and for some games they will be far from selling out the away allocation when the prices are too high. At £30 per ticket next season, or at £26 for some games, they should still be earning around £1.6m from away sales, not least if they're selling more for less. So in fact it might only cost Arsenal around £200,000, give or take, to pay for this.

That 'hit' will vary from club to club: Chelsea will probably take a bigger hit as they sell more tickets at higher average prices than Arsenal. But the total cost of this price cut across all 20 clubs combined will be a small single-digit millions cost. Put another way, around £32m is earned by all clubs combined from the sales of around 850,000 away tickets each season, at an average (roughly) of £37 each. So with a £30 cap and more ticket sales expected as a result, the cost could be as small as £2m collectively. (If 1m tickets were sold at £30 for a £30m income against £32m now). It is not a huge sum, even if if ends up being two or three times as much as £2m.

Q: Put that in context for us in relation to increased TV income.



Manchester United's co-chairmen Joel Glazer (left) and brother Avram will benefit hugely from the new TV deal

A: This season each Premier League club will make an average of £80m from central Premier League funds, from £63m or so for the bottom club to around £100m for the top club.

Next season that will rise to around £120m on average, from £100m for the bottom club to £150m for the top club.

Cutting prices to £30 maximum for away fans will cost each club a few hundred thousand pounds on average. This will be at a time when they are each making £40 million EXTRA on average from the Premier League.

Q: So the clubs can afford it?

A: As Homer Simpson would say: 'Doh!'.

They could afford to give every single away ticket away for FREE next season and still be an average of £38m richer EACH because of the new TV deals.

Q: It sounds like you think they haven't gone far enough?



The new deal is still a compromise arrangement, with many fan groups backing the Twenty's Plenty campaign

A: Well there was definitely an opportunity here to cut prices for traveling fans so significantly that 100% away attendance was plausible. A chance for a £20 cap, or lower. A chance for spare tickets to be given, and centrally subsidised, to a 'lost' generation of kids, and poorer fans, and the unemployed. But that sounds a bit too much like clubs going the extra mile.

Q: What about FA Cup, League Cup and European prices?

A: Clubs can do what they like for those games. To be fair, domestic cup competitions these days generally lack interest from fans so pricing has been 'imaginative' (ie: cheap) for a few seasons. The same has been the case for some European games. The £30 cap won't apply there.

Q: Will there be a restriction on the number of fans who can get £30 seats?



There has been growing unrest at the cost of attending Premier League matches in recent seasons

A: There is no expected change to the away capacities in general. As a rule of thumb, clubs must make 3,000 seats available for away fans, or 10 per cent of capacity for clubs with grounds holding fewer than 30,000. That will stay the same.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3484354/Arsenal-Liverpool-Chelsea-Manchester-United-save-300-new-away-ticket-price-cap-Premier-League-supporters.html

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Antonio Conte to earn £6.5m per year at Chelsea... while Pep Guardiola will be on £15m at Manchester City! So how much does your manager get paid?

* Antonio Conte will take over at Chelsea after Euro 2016 this summer
* He put pen to paper on a three-year contract worth £6.5m per season
* The Italian will only be the Premier League's fifth-best paid manager

Antonio Conte is to earn £6.5million per season at Chelsea after signing a three-year contract but he will be only the fifth best paid boss in the Barclays Premier League.

Even Jose Mourinho was on £13.2m while at Chelsea, but Pep Guardiola has that beaten, with the Manchester City manager to earn £15m per year when he joins in the summer.

So, how does Conte's contract compare to your manager's? Here, Sportsmail looks at how much your manager makes according to the latest information available, not including bonuses.

Arsenal, Arsene Wenger - £8.3m

Arsenal's manager earns £8.3m for consistently delivering Champions League football and his current contract runs until 2017.

Aston Villa, Remi Garde - £2m

Eric Black has taken over as caretaker but it was said that Garde was on the same salary as his predecessor, Tim Sherwood, which worked out at £2m per year before his sacking.

Bournemouth, Eddie Howe - £750,000

Bournemouth are upsetting the odds with the club set to survive relegation and their manager is being paid £750,000 for his troubles.



Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is up there as among the best paid in the Premier League on £8.3m

Chelsea, Antonio Conte - £6.5m

As well as being on £6.5m per year, the Italian has a £5m bonus built into his contract if he can win the Champions League.

Crystal Palace, Alan Pardew - £1.5m

Crystal Palace are trying to avoid being dragged into a relegation scrap with Pardew earning £1.5m per year, according to reports.

Everton, Roberto Martinez - £3m

Martinez promised Champions League football when he arrived at Everton but is yet to deliver on his four-year contract, worth £3m per season.

Leicester City, Claudio Ranieri - £1.5m

Potentially a title-winning manager and one who earns £1.5m per year. Ranieri is set to be rewarded with a double-your-money deal in the summer, however.

Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp - £7m

Brendan Rodgers was believed to be on less than half the £7m per year that Klopp is paid.

Manchester City, Pep Guardiola - £15m

Guardiola will leave Bayern Munich in the summer for Manchester City, who will pay him a mind-boggling £15m per year. Manuel Pellegrini is reportedly not even on half that.



Pep Guardiola is going to be paid a staggering £15m per year when he arrives at Manchester City

Manchester United, Louis van Gaal - £7.3m

Van Gaal is paid £7.3m but, if Mourinho is to take over this summer as some suggest, then he might ask for a fee closer to the £13.2m he was paid by Chelsea.

Newcastle United, Rafa Benitez - £4m

Benitez has been handed a £4m-per-year contract in a bid to have him keep Newcastle up, even if there is a clause in his contract that says he can leave if they go down.

Norwich City, Alex Neil - £750,000

Neil is trying to guide Norwich towards safety and is understood to be on a similar wage to Howe at Bournemouth.



Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is currently on £7.3m at Old Trafford

Southampton, Ronald Koeman - £2m

Koeman's contract is coming to an end but the Southampton manager will not make a decision on whether he will stay at St Mary's until the summer.

Stoke City, Mark Hughes - £1m

Hughes is said to be on about £1m per year at the Britannia Stadium with the club currently sitting eighth.

Sunderland, Sam Allardyce - £3m

Allardyce is trying to steer Sunderland towards safety and is being paid around £3m per year to do so. Clubs that stay up are set for a £100m windfall from the £8billion TV deal.

Swansea City, Francesco Guidolin - £1m

With bonuses built in for survival not included, Swansea apparently pay Guidolin £1m. His contract will be up for review at the end of the season.

Tottenham Hotspur, Mauricio Pochettino - £3.5m

Tottenham are fighting for the title as they trail Leicester with Pochettino on £3.5m after signing a five-year deal in 2014.

Watford, Quique Sanchez Flores - £1m

Slavisa Jokanovic wanted £2.5m but, when Watford refused to move from £1m, he left. The club turned to Flores instead.

West Bromwich Albion, Tony Pulis - £2m

Pulis apparently demanded £2m per year to become the new West Brom boss and is said to have got his wish.

West Ham, Slaven Bilic - £3m

Bilic signed a three-year contract in June 2015, understood to be worth £3m per season. Under him they are fighting for Champions League football.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3524106/Antonio-Conte-earn-6-5m-year-Chelsea-Pep-Guardiola-15m-Manchester-City-does-manager-paid.html

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Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham make the top 10... but as Dimitri Payet takes aim at No 1, who are the best free-kick takers in Premier League history?

* Dimitri Payet has become a free-kick specialist at West Ham United
* Frenchman scored another set-piece against Crystal Palace on Saturday
* Premier League has seen a number of dead-ball icons since its inception
* Sportsmail runs through the top 10 free-kick takers on games per goal

Dimitri Payet has been so unerringly accurate from free-kicks in recent weeks that observers have likened them to a penalty.

For West Ham United and France, he has been placing the ball in top corners from outrageous starting points.

Alan Pardew warned his Crystal Palace players not to give free-kicks away around the box, such is the Frenchman's threat, and sure enough he scored another in their 2-2 draw.




So it got us thinking, here at Sportsmail, about the best Premier League free-kick takers there have ever been.

We have taken a scientific approach and calculated the best free-kicks per game ratio of anyone to have scored five or more top-flight free-kicks.

While some of the below certainly scored plenty more in the FA Cup and League Cup, the Champions League or for their country, this is the definitive list of the Premier League's 10 greatest free-kick takers.

With two Premier League free-kick goals in 24 games, Payet's ratio of 12 games per goal has him on course to beat them all.

Here are the set-piece specialists he has to surpass..

10. Ian Harte, Leeds United and Reading (1996-2013)

Games played: 237

Free-kicks scored: 9

Games per free-kick goal: 26.3

The left back used to wear boots two sizes too small — 6.5 instead of 8.5 — to help with his free-kick taking.

It may have crippled his feet, but it was well worth it. Long before Leighton Baines, Harte ruled the roost of free-kick scoring full backs.

Best Premier League free-kick: Derby 1-1 Leeds, September 2000

The ball was 40 yards from goal, way out towards the right-hand-side touchline. This was crossing territory, not for shooting.

Not for Harte. He sent a dipping, fizzing drive over everyone and gave Derby goalkeeper Mart Poom no chance as the ball flew under his crossbar into the top left corner.

Derby's players looked around in disbelief.

9. Morten Gamst Pedersen, Blackburn Rovers (2004-2013)

Games played: 260

Free-kicks scored: 10

Games per free-kick goal: 26

The winger was reportedly on the verge of a move to Manchester United at one stage and a large part of the impression he made on Sir Alex Ferguson was his delivery from set-pieces.

Pinpoint crosses from corners or wide free-kicks, deadly accuracy and power from shooting positions.

Had many of those which came back off the woodwork been an inch more inside it, he would have had many more.

Best Premier League free-kick: Blackburn 2-1 Wigan Athletic, November 2010

The linesman had to move aside, that was how close the ball was to the right-hand touchline, just in line with the edge of Wigan's penalty area.

Was that going to stop the left-footed Pedersen going for goal? Of course not.

He swung the ball over goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi and into the far top corner.

8. Sebastian Larsson, Birmingham City and Sunderland (2006-present)

Games played: 255

Free-kicks scored: 11

Games per free-kick goal: 23.2

The Sunderland midfielder is an underrated set-piece specialist. Although he failed to make it at Arsenal, he has regularly netted free-kicks at Birmingham and Sunderland.

Sam Allardyce could do with him scoring a few more between now and the end of the season to help keep his club up.

Best Premier League free-kick: Arsenal 2-1 Sunderland, October 2011

Larsson's free-kick against Arsenal was fairly central, so he had plenty of work to do to beat Wojciech Szczesny, but the whip on the ball was immense as it burst off his right boot and into the top-left corner.

7. Luis Suarez, Liverpool (2011-2014)

Games played: 110

Free-kicks scored: 5

Games per free-kick goal: 22

Suarez's free-kicks were always clever, tucked inside a near post or aimed at a far one to deceive the goalkeeper.

He played in the Premier League for fewer years than many of his rivals and could have potentially been higher on the list.

Best Premier League free-kick: Everton 3-3 Liverpool, November 2013

This was another example of Suarez's genius — he was 30 yards from goal but virtually placed the ball into the bottom right corner.

The Uruguayan spotted a tiny gap between Gareth Barry and Steven Pienaar and popped the ball into it and beyond Tim Howard's despairing dive.

6. Thierry Henry, Arsenal (1999-2007)

Games played: 258

Free-kicks scored: 12

Games per free-kick goal: 21.5

His free-kicks were part of what made Thierry Henry such a phenomenal goalscorer. He was a threat from anywhere. Inside the box, outside the box, from the penalty spot or when the ball was sat, waiting to be struck and there was a wall in the way.

Henry could find a way to nestle it in the back of the net.

Best Premier League free-kick: Arsenal 2-2 Chelsea, December 2004

This won't be everyone's first choice, but the quickness of thought, originality and audacity make it special.

Petr Cech, then in goal for Chelsea, was still standing by his left post lining up the wall when Graham Poll indicated the free-kick could be taken, so Henry bounced it into the opposite side, with little power but plenty of accuracy, and Cech was helpless.

5. Gianfranco Zola, Chelsea (1996-2003)

Games played: 229

Free-kicks scored: 12

Games per free-kick goal: 19.1

Gianfranco Zola is one of the game's great free-kick takers. He scored bundles of them in Italy before moving to England and scoring plenty more for Chelsea.

There were never any Roberto Carlos-esque run-ups before putting a foot through the ball, Zola's were all exquisite.

Best Premier League free-kick: Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur, February 2003

Kasey Keller in the Spurs goal was expecting a cross — the ball was 25 yards out and to the left of goal — but Zola arced it into the same corner the goalkeeper was standing beneath and still made it impossible to keep out.

'The goalkeepers expect you to cross the ball and if they are not quick to read the trajectory then they cannot do anything about it,' Zola said in an interview about it.

4. Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United (2003-2009)

Games played: 196

Free-kicks scored: 11

Games per free-kick goal: 17.8

Ronaldo has developed his own wide-legged stance and run-up and a 'punch' technique of striking the ball which is now being replicated by younger players who watched him growing up.

It has not fared him so well at Real Madrid, where his free-kick conversion rate is lower, but in the Premier League it was punishing.

Best Premier League free-kick: Manchester United 2-0 Portsmouth, January 2008

Wayne Rooney fancied it, 30 yards from goal, but when he saw Ronaldo prepare, he sidled away. Just as well, the Portuguese's execution was breathtaking.

Portsmouth goalkeeper David James just stood in the middle of his goal and watched the ball fly into the top-right corner.



Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo perfects his knuckleball technique to net against Stoke City in 2008

3. David Beckham, Manchester United (1992-2003)

Games played: 265

Free-kicks scored: 15

Games per free-kick goal: 17.7

David Beckham was a great player, but he will be remembered as one of the greatest free-kick takers.

He scored them from anywhere and via any method; power, accuracy, swerve, dip, or various combinations of them all.

Best Premier League free-kick: Everton 1-2 Manchester United, May 2003

Picking Beckham's best free-kick is like picking your favourite child. It shouldn't be done, but if you think long and hard enough, it can be.

This is made slightly easier by filtering to only Premier League strikes and the one against Everton stands out, because he managed to wrong-foot Richard Wright simply with the swerve of the ball.

The set piece was to the right of goal, just outside the box, and the obvious place to put it for the right-footed Beckham was in the right of goal.

The curl made it look like that too, but when Wright moved in that direction, it fiercely flew to the left, where he had just been, and into the net.



David Beckham (right) curls in a free-kick for United against Liverpool at Anfield in the 1997-1998 season

2. Christian Eriksen, Tottenham Hotspur (2013-present)

Games played: 92

Free-kicks scored: 6

Games per free-kick goal: 15.3

He has been hailed as the modern-day free-kick king and his current rate is certainly not far off taking that crown.

No player has scored more top-flight free-kicks than the Spurs midfielder since he moved to England three years ago.

Best Premier League free-kick: Tottenham 1-1 West Brom, December 2013

Eriksen announced himself to the Premier League with a stunning free-kick for his first top-flight goal.

Gylfi Sigurdsson ran over the ball and left it for his team-mate, who smashed it in via the crossbar.

1. Laurent Robert, Newcastle United (2001-2006)

Games played: 150

Free-kicks scored: 11

Games per free-kick goal: 13.6

He scored them out on the left, he scored them out on the right, he scored unstoppable drives from the centre.

Laurent Robert was an at times controversial figure at Newcastle but he will always be remembered for his sensational strikes, many of which came from set-pieces.

Near post, far post, top corner, bottom corner, down the middle; there really was nowhere within 40 yards of goal that he could not score one from.

Best Premier League free-kick: Newcastle 1-0 Liverpool, March 2005

The free-kick was wide on the right, so Robert went for power and whip with his left to curl it over everyone inside the box, including Liverpool's debut goalkeeper Scott Carson, and into the far top-left corner.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3524149/Cristiano-Ronaldo-David-Beckham-feature-make-best-free-kick-takers-Premier-League-history-list.html