What the back pages of the papers say - July 29: Robbie, Joey and Diouf... football is back

Anfield arrival: Robbie Keane

Liverpool apologised to Tottenham on Monday night and made a charitable donation to their Barclays Premier League rivals as Robbie Keane's £19million move to Anfield reached a bizarre conclusion.


Joey Barton returns to Newcastle United on Tuesday and will head straight into talks with Kevin Keegan and senior board members to discuss his future at the club.

As Newcastle United prepare to welcome back one of the Premier League's most controversial figures, Sunderland manager Roy Keane seems hell-bent on assembling his own small squad of bad boys at the Stadium of Light.

The Sun

Ryan Giggs has put the boot in on the soccer mercenaries who sell their soul to the highest bidder. Also: had to make a grovelling apology to Tottenham before signing £20million hitman Robbie Keane on a four-year deal... Frank Lampard can forget any move to Italy this season, according to Inter Milan.

Daily Express

Peter Kenyon last night laid down the gauntlet to teams such as Tottenham and Newcastle and challenged them to "get their houses in order" and catch up with and the 'Big Four'.

Daily Star

Roman Abramovich last night piled the pressure on Big Phil Scolari by ordering the new Chelsea boss not just to win, but to win in style.

Also: Real Madrid fans have given Cristiano Ronaldo a massive thumbs-down and told the club not to sign him... Angry Spurs last night sold striker Robbie Keane to
Liverpool for £20.3m - along with another blast from Tottenham chairman Daniel
Levy.

Daily Mirror

Joey Barton faces a furious backlash from fans who do not want him back following his release from prison yesterday.

Also: Robbie Keane will be unveiled at Anfield today after completing a staggering £20million move to Liverpool... Patrik Berger last night blasted Aston Villa boss Martin
O'Neill for treating him and Gareth Barry like children.

Daily Telegraph

Peter Kenyon, the Chelsea chief executive, risked a major backlash from his Premier League rivals yesterday after he told clubs trying to break into the 'big four' next season to "get their houses in order".

Also: defender Kolo Toure is expected to recover in time to start the new season despite catching malaria during the summer break.

The Times

Peter Kenyon defended the dominance of the Barclays Premier League's so-called Big Four last night and insisted that Chelsea will resist any attempts to force them to "dumb down" to the level of their rivals.

Also: Joey Barton will meet Newcastle officials this morning to discuss his position at the club.

The Guardian

Joey Barton will return to Newcastle United this week with a 'final warning' ringing in his ears but, instead of a previously threatened 'significant' pay cut, he is likely to retain his £65,000 a week.

Also: Steve Harmison's recall was yesterday described at "desperate" and a "quick fix"
by South Africa's coach, Mickey Arthur.

The Independent

Forget any notions ahead of tomorrow's Edgbaston Test that South Africa minus the injured Dale Steyn will be an easier proposition for England's broken batsmen. - .

Also: The Arsenal captain William Gallas admitted for the first time yesterday that his bizarre behaviour on the pitch last season had been a "mistake"... Joey Barton will return to Tyneside this morning for boardroom talks at St James' Park about his future at Newcastle United.