Torres relishing extra responsibility

Fernando Torres has vowed to step into the void left by striker Didier Drogba as he steps up his preparations for the new Premier League season.

 Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo has bolstered his midfield options with the arrivals of Edin Hazard and Oscar but may not replace Drogba, who has joined former Chelsea team-mate Nicolas Anelka at Shanghai Shenhua.

 Torres endured a torrid first year at Stamford Bridge but has enjoyed a superb couple of months, lifting the Champions League trophy with Chelsea before winning the European Championship with Spain, taking the Golden Boot award in the process, and the Spaniard is confident he will thrive as top striker.

 "I am looking forward to it," he said. "I like the responsibility and it's a thing I've been doing all my life.

 I think Didier did everything for this club, scoring the winning goal in the Champions League was an inspiration for us.

 "Our relationship was great and I was talking to him when he decided to leave he wished me all the best and hopefully one day Chelsea fans will remember me as they are going to remember him."

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Spanish club end talks with Nigerian star due to exorbitant wage demands

Nosa Igiebor's protracted move to Real Betis from Hapoel Tel Aviv has collapsed, the Spanish club have announced.

 The 21-year-old Nigeria international had been in discussions with Betis this week over a potential move transfer.

 However, the club have now confirmed that they have pulled out of talks with the player due to his exorbitant wage demands.

 "Real Betis announce that they are breaking off negotiations with the player Nosa Igiebor," a statement on the club's official read.

 "The party had reached agreement with both the player and his team of origin, Hapoel Tel Aviv, but in the last few hours the player has requested a wage increase that was not already agreed.

 "The club provides this view as a lack of respect, seriousness and professionalism which will not accept."

 Betis president Miguel Guillen had earlier been optimistic that a deal with the Nigerian would soon be completed, however, and was expecting the player to arrive in Seville imminently.

 "It is possible that if we agree terms, then he will make an appearance. We are still in negotiations," he told reporters.

 "We look forward to new faces arriving, seeing how quickly they have integrated to the team and their degree of involvement."

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Trouble hit Portsmouth left with only five players

Halford has become the third player to leave Pompey this week, leaving the south coast side with only five players, as Michael Appleton trims his squad to keep the club alive.

 Speaking about the move Halford told Forest's official website: "It's been a tough year but the administrator wanted us all out.

 "Not knowing whether there was going to be a club was unsettling.

 "This is the right time for me to be here. The facilities are great. I know the owners have big plans as well." The club's administrator, Trevor Birch, was warned that Portsmouth could close next month unless senior players agree to move or can reach agreements over their salaries.

 Fans have been urging the remaining players to negotiate with the administrators in order to save their club whilst former manager Harry Redknapp has also offered his help in a bid to save Portsmouth.

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Mancini: Manchester City are talking to some players

The Premier League champions are yet to make a signing this summer, in stark contrast to their lavish spending over the last two years which has seen them lift the FA Cup and their long wait for a top flight league title.

 Arsenal's contract rebel Robin van Persie has been continually linked with a move from the Emirates to Eastlands over the summer, following in the footsteps of former Gunners Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy, Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor.

 Mancini refuses to be drawn on names but the Italian has revealed he is working on bringing some new faces to the club and expects business to be done over the next couple of weeks.

 "We did well last year. This year will be harder because when you win, the problem is to win again. "For this reason I think that we need to improve our team with maybe some new players, "I'm sure that maybe in the next two weeks we can do something about new players.

 "We are talking to some players, but the market is not easy. It's difficult, and for this reason we need more time." The 47-year-old is only expected to add one or two players to his squad which already boasts a wealth of talent in almost every position.

 Mancini added: "I don't know at this moment. But we have a lot of players and I don't think that we need 10 new players."

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Spirit at Tottenham outshines Chelsea, says former Blues boss Villas-Boas

Andre Villas-Boas has taken a veiled swipe at his former Chelsea players as he insisted the team spirit at his new club Tottenham is incomparable.

 The Portuguese head coach cut a relaxed figure on Friday night here in Baltimore, ahead of Tottenham's friendly against Liverpool here, significantly more at ease than during his final days at Stamford Bridge.

 Villas-Boas' spell in charge at Chelsea was peppered with clashes with senior players and claims that he had lost the dressing room, so it was significant to hear his pointed views when he was asked about how he had been received by Tottenham's players.

 'It is a question you need to ask the players,' said Villas-Boas, who added there was 'nothing new' to say about Luka Modric's position.

 'But from my perspective I have been adapting to them. They are enjoying what they are doing.

 'You will get a more specific answer from the players, of course. I think the warmth of the group is excellent to see.

 It is two different groups reacting differently. We have seen the spirit of this group and it is different from what I had last year.'

 After playing Liverpool here, Tottenham head up to New York where they will face the New York Red Bulls and Villas-Boas is hoping that Rafael van der Vaart, who hobbled off with a groin problem in the 1-1 draw with LA Galaxy.

 Gareth Bale scored Tottenham's goal in LA but his presence in that match, 24 hours before Team GB began their Olympic campaign, caused a furore, prompting FIFA president Sepp Blatter to wade into the row.

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Shevchenko retires for political career

Andriy Shevchenko has retired from football and plans to pursue a career in politics.

 The 35-year-old has opted to bring an end to his playing career following Euro 2012, with two goals against Sweden in a 2-1 win in the tournament the striker's final memorable moment.

 The news was released by former club Dinamo Kiev, as the veteran bows out of the sport.

 "Perhaps, I will shock everyone: my future has nothing to do with football. It is related to politics," he told the Ukrainian club's official website.

 Shevchenko will be remembered predominantly for his time at AC Milan, where he won a Scudetto, a Coppa Italia and a Champions League title in seven seasons - including one loan spell - where he netted 175 goals in 322 competitive games.

 He had an ill-fated stint at Chelsea between 2006 and 2009, but still added FA Cup and League Cup triumphs to his medal collection, whilst he also won the Ukrainian Premier League five times.

 Internationally the veteran striker represented his nation 111 times, scoring 48 goals.

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Mourinho plays down 5-2 loss to Benfica

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has played down the importance of his side's 5-2 defeat to Benfica in the Eusebio Cup on Friday.

 La Liga champions Real fielded an under-strength team at Estadio da Luz and were surprised by a rampant second-half display from the hosts after going into the break with the scoreline at 2-2.

 After the match, Mourinho said he did not take a serious approach to the game and warned Benfica not to get carried away with the result.

 "There is no such thing as heavy defeats in friendly matches," he told reporters. "We knew the risk we were taking.

 Benfica did not wish to test new things, they played seriously.

 "I hope this victory will boost their morale, but in a balanced way. Because if they give too much importance to this result, it could be negative for them.

 "I hope to return here during the season, but to play an official match, and to win when winning matters."

 Meanwhile, Fabio Coentrao said his former team Benfica were worthy winners on his return, one year after leaving the Portuguese club.

 "It was a good game and a good spectacle," Coentrao said. "We did not expect this result, but we were missing many players and we had several others from the Castilla (second) team.

 But Benfica deserved to win. "I am a Benfica fan and I did not want to waste the opportunity to play in my stadium once again."

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