On the 3rd May 2013 what were the stories that dominated the football landscape? Including Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.
I am casting my eye back to this exact day, the 3rd May 2014, but a year earlier.
What were the main tales from that day? What big events were happening in Premier League football?
Here are some of the big scoops from the 3rd May 2013…
Arsene for life?
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was ruling out an exit from The Emirates Stadium as his rolling contract was once again coming toward its end.
The Frenchman was being linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain – whose Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti was expected to take the hot seat at Real Madrid after Jose Mourinho stepped down.
However he stated he was going nowhere, and would be signing a new contract imminently – showing his scant regard for haste in contract negotiations extends beyond his playing staff:
“I answered that question already. I respect my contracts. I want to stay (on past 2014) if I do well and if I consider or the club considers that I do well, that is all. I want this club to do well, that is my basic feeling.”
One year on and … déjà vu anybody?
Southampton Baled on us
Sir Alex Ferguson admitted that Gareth Bale was the one that got away.
The Welsh wizard had just picked up the double PFA Player and Young Player of the Year awards after a sensational season at Tottenham Hotspur.
Sir Alex, who tried to sign Bale as a 17-year-old in 2007, was speaking about not signing the now superstar forward:
“We were disappointed in Southampton at the time because we were first there, but they never came back to us. It was not the boy who turned us down, it was Southampton, then a few weeks later he signed for Tottenham Hotspur.”
Bale moved to Real Madrid last summer in a record breaking deal and is now gearing up for a Champions League final against Atletico Madrid.
Carr-ying on not for me
Jamie Carragher was talking about his future – after recently admitting he would be retiring at the end of the season.
And he ruled out going into football management:
“For managers, it is even worse with more repercussions. They have that grind every day; then those press conferences before and after games when you’re feeling and looking at your worst, vulnerable to coming across the wrong way. You see some managers years later and they still seem bitter about their experiences, understandably so.
“For me football is a game to be loved, to be enjoyed. You will have ups and downs, but I see in some managers how the game has eaten them up. I love the game too much to let that happen to me…”
And he has since gone on to become a pundit for Sky Sports – chewing the fat with long term rival Gary Neville on Monday Night Football and beyond.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
