It's been relatively late coming but it looks like the Premiership has finally woken up to the benefits of signing Argentinian players.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, crystalising the sentiments of many a modern coach, extolled the virtues of Carlos Tevez after his hyperactive display of ball hunting in the Champions League semi-final win over Barcelona.

"Tevez scores in big games a lot.His energy the other night was fantastic, a real Argentinian mentality, a winner's mentality," said Ferguson.

The United boss persevered with the unorthodox loan acquisition of Tevez last summer because he had been so impressed with the striker's never-say-die attitude in the last eight weeks of the season prior when he, in Ferguson's view, singlehandedly saved West Ham from relegation.

Tevez and countryman Javier Mascherano arrived in England fresh from a World Cup and struggled to adapt to the relentless pace of Premiership football, but like Tottenham pair Ardiles and Villa before them, they now look at home.

Twenty five years after Ossie packed his bags and quit White Hart Lane in search of a peaceful life away from a country at war with his homeland, a new wave of Argentinians are set to invade England's top fight.

Wheras Spain, Italy and Portugal were the most attractive destinations for the boys from Buenos Aires in the past, now they are bypassed or become just stopping off points en route to the new promised land - a Premiership dripping with cash.

So where will messrs Ferguson, Benitez, Ramos and Redknapp be shopping this summer and who are the new faces we should look out for ?

Ezequiel Garay (Racing Santander) - left-footed centre-back with a rocket shot.

Angel De Maria (Benfica) -  skilful forward or winger.

Lucho Gonzalez (Porto) - midfield engine with leadership qualities.

Lisandro Lopez (Porto) - free-scoring striker with predatory instinct.

Rodrigo Palacio (Boca Juniors) - unpredictable striker capable of genius.

Lucas Biglia (Anderlecht) - mature ball-winning midfielder, but uncapped and has no EU passport

Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli) - pacy striker with an Italian passport - SB.

I am busy previewing all the groups at Euro 2008 on the sports betting blog Laytheodds.com at the moment. While I was going through the teams I couldn't help noticing the resurgent force of Turkey under Fatih Terim and I really fancy them to get into the quarter-finals.


They have two young players who I have heard particularly good things about - Galatasaray's Arda Turan (14 above) and Fenerbahce's Gokhan Gonul (18) - the outstanding right back who played well against Chelsea recently.

Here's my Euro 2008 betting analysis of Group A - I'll be back with a more in-depth look at these two and several other young players who could make the breakthrough into  world class this summer.

Group A (Czech Republic, Portugal, Switzerland, Turkey)

To me, this is the second toughest group to come out of last November's draw as it pits World Cup semi-finalists Portugal together with three improving nations with relatively young squads.

Group A could be very tight as three of the four teams are well organised defensively and will not concede goals cheaply. Czech Republic had an outstanding record in qualifying with star goalkeeper Petr Cech beaten only five times in 12 matches, while Portugal and Turkey allowed only 10 and 11 respectively - less than one per match.

Switzerland, however, appear to be leaking goals alarmingly in their friendlies as the 4-0 home defeat to Germany illustrated recently. The Euro 2008 odds on the Swiss have been lengthening as Kobi Kuhn's side are now on a run of four defeats after a struggling England side condemned them to Wembley woe on the back of home losses to Nigeria and the USA.

But Kuhn has been experimenting and, with home advantage, I expect the Swiss to pick up when the tournament begins as they can play without fear of failing to live up to expectations. It helps them that they kick off the tournament against the Czechs, a solid side lacking in creative spark if they are without Tomas Rosicky.

The fitness of the Arsenal midfielder is coach Karel Bruckner's main concern because he has no-one else at his disposal capable of the subtelty of pass or run required to slice open a packed defence. I think the opening game could be, as so many are, a draw.

Turkey take on Portugal later on opening night and the Turks are likely to set up to play on the counter-attack by hoping to draw Luis Felipe Scolari's side out. But it is a tough balancing act to surrender possession to a team containing wizards like Ricardo Quarsema and Cristiano Ronaldo and not come unstuck. I don't feel as though Turkey have the necessary experience to survive and it should be a routine victory for Portugal.     
     
Can the Czechs bounce back with a win against Portugal next ? This could be a disappointing game as Bruckner will be looking for a draw to keep them in the hunt going into the last game against Turkey while Portugal would probably settle for a point if it's still tight after 75 minutes. The referee could be key in this game as Czech Republic will have to stop Portugal's dribblers from getting within range of Cech's goal. Another draw looks to be the best bet, but at what cost for Bruckner's boys? Will they be in suspension trouble for the last game ?

Switzerland will fancy their chances of defeating Turkey in the next Group A tussle, but I believe it will be Fatih Terim who  engineers the win with an astute use of his talented squad. Turkey have two or three jokers in their midst who are ideal for exploiting a plodding Swiss defence when they lack the protection of defensive midfielders. Turan, Sahin, Basturk and Nihat could be too canny for the Cantons on a day which I think will effectively eliminate the hosts.

Both matches in the final round of the groups kick off simultaneously and going into these matches I have got Portugal on 4 points, Turkey 3, Czech Republic 2 and Switzerland 1. The Swiss are in a tough position and know nothing less than a win against Portugal will do. Again, I feel as though they will be cannon-fodder for Scolari's men who will be looking to clinch top spot in the section and progress in style. This could be an entertaining game, but ultimately Portugal's class will tell and they will seal their passage.

In the other match, Turkey could be in trouble unless Terim selects a strong side capable of defending their second position. But if the Czechs are depleted they will have every chance of clinching the draw they need - or better, and qualify for the last eight.

It's over six months now since England squandered their last chance to qualify for Euro 2008 on that soggy night at Wembley and still Steve McClaren has, unsurprisingly, not yet found a new job.

But neither has Terry Venables. England's former assistant, whose reputation prior to taking the number two role had been decent at club and international level is now also on the managerial scrapheap, tarred with the same brush that has painted McClaren as a failure.

The 65-year-old Londoner's CV is impressive, although it shows that his career reached it's peak in 1996 and has been on the slide since. Cutting his teeth at Crystal Palace, Venables took the Eagles to two quickfire promotions - climbing from the Third Division to the First. He was tempted to QPR and tasked with the challenge of taking them up, which he achieved in his second full season - one year after his young side almost upset the odds by taking Tottenham to a replay in the FA Cup

The glory continued as QPR finished fifth in their first season back in the top flight and Barcelona came knocking - his reputation having even impressed them within the Nou Camp's inner sanctum.

He remains the last English coach ever to have achieved anything significant for a top foreign club side as Barcelona won the League, League Cup and lost the 1986 European Cup final on penalties during his three seasons there.

He was out of work for less than two months after his inevitable Spanish sacking and was snapped up by Spurs.  Success came at a slower rate for Venables at White Hart Lane although allegations over his business dealings kept him in the headlines. But the Tottenham faithful remember his time fondly after he brought stars such as Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker to the club and won the FA Cup in 1991.

In just over two years in charge of England Venables steadily rebuilt fragile national pride in the wake of World Cup qualification failure and then came Euro 96. Looking back, to get the performances he did at the time out of Gascoigne and Tony Adams was remarkable, but the team ultimately fell short on penalties in he semi-finals to the eventual winners Germany.

Home advantage accepted - I rate still rate Euro 96 as England's best performance in a finals tournament since 1966 - better than Italia 90 in the brand of football played and fluency of the team.     

Forced out of his coach's role by FA pressure over the High Court case he was fighting, Venables never got a crack at the 1998 World Cup. But seemed on course to achieve his final career aim when he took Australia to a play-off with Iran four years later.

But it was not destined to be and here we are six years later and another chance presents itself to El Tel.

South Africa, hosts in 2010, are  rudderless after Brazilian World Cup-winning coach Carlos Alberto Parreira quit to look after his poorly wife.

His resignation takes effect May 2 but he'll continue as technical advisor, and his two assistant coaches - Jairo Leal and Pitso Mosimane - will remain.

Parreira said he would help officials find a new coach who will try to build South Africa into a credible force for the 2010 World Cup.

Venables, after missing out on the Republic of Ireland job in the New Year, is still on the market and must be hankering after this opportunity - it could be his last. - SB

I have to admit I didn't know much about Mauro Zarate before he joined Birmingham City on loan in January.

In truth, I didn't know a lot more until after he announced himself to the Premiership with his second and third goals of his spell in the Blues' 2-0 home win over  Manchester City. Then I did some research.

It seems like I may not have been the only one. Manchester United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz made the short trip to Wigan Athletic last week to see their match with Birmingham City, reported as a mission to spy on the Latics' Luis Antonio Valencia and Wilson Palacios.

Really ? Hasn't he seen both these players in action before ?  Palacios came on as a substitute in both Premier League matches against United for his old club Birmingham before he followed Steve Bruce to Lancashire. Valencia saw action against Man Utd both last season and this and neither player is an unknown commodity at Old Trafford.

But Zarate is, or was, relatively undiscovered and Queiroz would probably not have seen him 'live' until last Saturday, taking into account his career path and limited opportunities at St Andrews so far.

The 21-year-old was building quite a tasty reputation in Argentina with Velez Sarsfield before his shock move to Qatar's Al-Sadd in June - shortly after he'd helped the Argentina Under-20 side lift the World Youth Cup in Canada.

Zarate's repertoire of goals for Velez can be seen on Youtube and it's fair to say he doesn't get many headers, but his ability to dribble and strike the ball with either foot is clear.

After scoring the winner for Argentina's kids this summer he was expected to follow team-mate Sergio Aguero to a club in one of Europe's big leagues, but it never materialised and he was snapped up by Al-Sadd.

A sad loss ? His quirky agent, described by Birmingham City's MD Karren Brady as looking like a ginger-haired extra from an Austin Powers film, said the two-year deal "was not ideal in footballing terms but it will give him and his family financial security."

So they took the loot and ran. Fair enough, at least it means there are likely to be fewer  unwanted complications for him than Carlos Tevez endured in getting him to his rightful stage - a Champions League club.

Tevez is a friend of Zarate and you can imagine the Old Trafford forward's dilemma when the younger player inevitably asked him to put a word in at his employers to see if they wanted a nimble, two-footed goalscorer with a penchant for outrageous free-kicks. Still, it seems like he did! - SB  
 

Two years ago (well, actually it was April 29, 2006,) England's chances of winning the World Cup went splat. Or should that be crack!

I'll always remember where I was when, amid Chelsea's second consecutive Premiership celebrations at Stamford Bridge, Man Utd striker Wayner Rooney chased a lost cause in the penalty area and went down painfully under the challenge of Ricardo Carvalho.

United were 3-0 down and to all intents and purposes there was no point risking injury with the silverware gone and a very important summer's international football looming. But it isn't Rooney's nature to hold back - at least it wasn't then - and the ensuing diagnosis of his broken metatarsal ruined my bank holiday weekend. 

The rest, as they say, is history. He did come back and stamp his footprint on the World Cup (and all over Carvalho's tackle), but England's staccato performances without a fully-fit talisman up front had already convinced the world that the Three Lions were heading back down the Yellow Brick Road without what they'd come for.

Oddly enough, picking up an injury that would rule him out of Euro 2008 is not a concern for Rooney this summer - or five of his United colleagues who are all going flat out for the Premiership finishing line with no thought of saving a bit for June.

But what of the other big names around Europe ? Spare a thought for those who have already been ruled out of their countries' plans by injury.

Eduardo (Croatia) is gone, Ruud van Nistelrooy (Holland) is more touch than go and who knows what sort of form Tomas Rosicky (Czech Republic) can get himself back into as he battles the injury curse.

I'm already getting excited about the tournament and with my flights booked (prior to England's failure) am ready to party with the rest of Europe minus the worry of scrambling for tickets or avoiding troublemakers who make it tough to be English abroad.

Euro 2008 Betting-wise, I am ranking Spain, Italy and Portugal among my 'five or six' who have the most quality in the tournament. But after what happened in Portugal four years ago, I wouldn't rule out 11 of the squads from taking the trophy in what looks like quite an open championships.

Check out my regular feature articles on Laytheodds (here's my first) for more detailed analysis on the teams, groups, players and matchups that look set to make June an unmissable month of action.   

That's unless your name's Wayne and you've got a wedding to plan for! - SB

Well I said I'd listen out for whispers on who the candidates are to replace Avram Grant at Chelsea when he inevitably gets canned at the end of the season - I might as well have just read today's The Sun.

I painstakingly came up with a list of four top coaches who I thought would be on Chelsea's list and they all turn up in the paper today - Guud Hiddink (Russia), Frank Rijkaard (FC Barcelona), Michael Laudrup (Getafe) and Didier Deschamps (au chômage - on the dole).

They've also added Henk ten Cate as a fifth 'name in the frame', but I'm ruling him out on the grounds that he probably wouldn't want the job.

My fifth name is a bit of a dark horse but we already have pretty good idea that he likes the idea of managing at Stamford Bridge.

Sven-Goran Eriksson was famously photographed with Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon entering a London hotel for what were reported to be clandestine talks over what was then Claudio Ranier's job in 2004.

Eriksson was going through a tough time off the field as England head coach at the time with tabloid headlines about his personal life and the Swede also appeared to be missing the day-to-day activity of club management.

However, there's been plenty of water under the bridge since then as England failed to live up to the nation's inflated expectations at Euro 2004 and Germany 2006 - so would Kenyon and co still want him ?

So-called 'Super Agent' Pini Zahavi has always looked after Eriksson when it comes to the big moves and he might be in a position to influence matters again - let's wait and see.

Out of the other four, Hiddink is the big favourite after he took Roman Abrahmovic's Russia to the Euros this summer - and he has the best CV of the lot. A European Cup winner in 1988 with PSV Eindhoven he has the medal that the Chelsea players covet most and a reputation as a no-nonsense boss.

I wouldn't deter anyone from backing Guus as he is the outstanding candidate and may become available in July - but if you're looking for an outside bet then there will be more fun to be had in staking a smaller amount on Eriksson - SB.

 

You need a big personality to manage a big squad of big-name players and Avram Grant does not possess one.

Chelsea were catapulted into the elite clique of clubs once known as the G14 by Roman Abrahmovic's disposable income and Jose Mourinho's tactical acumen, but the Grant gamble looks set to fail.

I think that even if you told the Stamford Bridge supporters who regularly show disdain for Grant that they would go to Moscow and win the Champions League - a trophy even the Special One could not deliver - they wouldn't change their opinion.

They have seen the complete lack of authority the Israeli displays in the technical area as he waves his arms around like a tramp attempting to conduct the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

At what point he lost the dressing room is irrelevant, he probably never had it - and one recent TV appearance really showed me the extent of how little respect he and Henk Ten Cate command at Cobham.

The Soccer AM cameras were down at Chelsea training on Sport Relief day to capture the multi-millionaires have a crack at the Crossbar Challenge (a hugely successful feature brought to our screens by a pal of mine).

Michael Ballack, Ashley Cole and co all had their efforts - most of them reasonably close without grazing the woodwork - before it was the turn of the Blues coaches right at the end.

As Ten Cate stepped up he had to dodge a barrage of balls fired towards his head by the players - a sign maybe he's not the most well-liked man on the staff ? But as Grant approached the cameras to state his name and role, the likes of Terry and Cole could be seen openly laughing in anticipation of what was to come.

Sure enough, the manager failed to hit the bar - in fact he almost failed to kick the ball as the ground shook and it bobbled out of shot to the left to hoots of derision.

Maybe it was just a bad connection, but I was left with the feeling that there's never been a connection between Grant and his Mourinho-made squad.   

While it's unlikely they'll ever find another like him, Chelsea must know they have to recruit a coach with gravitas, a few medals in his coat pocket and an ability to kick a ball straight when they put Grant out to pasture.

I'll keep my ear to the ground and blog about the contenders later this week - SB