What the back pages say: July 31

31 July 2009 09:10
DAILY MAIL: Phil Neville last night accused Manchester City of trying to steamroller Everton into selling Joleon Lescott. Read more: Back off City! Everton's Neville in blast at billionaire club's £19m Lescott chase Also: Australian opener Phillip Hughes has been ticked off by the team's management after news of his shock omission from the third Ashes Test leaked out on Twitter. Read more: You are a twit, Phil! Australian opener Hughes rapped over Test leak THE SUN: Darren Bent last night told Spurs chairman Daniel Levy: Stop f ***ing around. Read more: Tottenham probe Sunderland target Darren Bent's Twitter attack on chairman Daniel Levy Also: Graeme Swann urged England's misfiring bowlers to sort it out or risk seeing their Third Test hopes washed away. THE TIMES: England have been praised for a "fine gesture" in allowing Australia to make a last-minute change to their team for the third Test at Edgbaston. Also: Liverpool were continuing to play hardball over Xabi Alonso last night as Real Madrid braced themselves for more disappointment despite making an improved £28million offer for the Spain midfield player. Read more: Xabi Alonso finally hands in Liverpool transfer request to force move to Real Madrid DAILY STAR: Xabi Alonso finally submitted a transfer request to put himself on the brink of the big move he wants from Liverpool to Real Madrid. Also: Arsene Wenger is refusing to splash the cash from the sale of Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure, insisting Arsenal are strong enough already. DAILY EXPRESS: Australia bounced back off the ropes as the gamble of dropping opener Phillip Hughes for all-rounder Shane Watson paid off in impressive fashion at a rain-hit Edgbaston yesterday. Also: World champion Lewis Hamilton last night revealed his delight at the return to Formula One of seven-time champion Michael Schumacher. Read more: Green light for the old master: Schumacher given go ahead to take on Hamilton and co DAILY MIRROR: Darren Bent appears to have been involved in a furious row after allegedly accusing Spurs chairman of wrecking his move to Sunderland. Also: Rafa Benitez is insisting on £30million for Xabi Alonso after the Spanish star handed in a transfer request. DAILY TELEGRAPH: The England and Wales Cricket Board yesterday welcomed the BBC's decision not to call for Test match cricket to be added to the 'Crown Jewels' list of live events protected for free-to-air broadcasters. Also: Manchester City are expected to return with a third offer in excess of £20million for Joleon Lescott, despite Everton's insistence that the defender is not for sale. THE GUARDIAN: The Australia coach, Tim Nielsen, last night hailed England's "fine gesture" after they gave permission to the reserve wicketkeeper Graham Manou to make a last-minute Test debut following the broken finger suffered by Brad Haddin moments before the start of play. Also: Mark Hughes has insisted that he will not be provoked into a public war of words with Sir Alex Ferguson, despite the Manchester United manager's increasingly hostile comments about the way Manchester City have set about trying to infiltrate the Premier League's top four. THE INDEPENDENT: Australia suffered another Glenn McGrath moment at Edgbaston yesterday, but it was England who suffered a lot more pain on this occasion with all their fast bowlers put to the sword by new opener Shane Watson when the third Ashes Test finally beat the weather.

Source: Daily_Mail