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Emmanuel Adebayor wants to secure a full transfer to Real Madrid after his loan move comes to an end in the summer.

Adebayor joined Real on loan from Manchester City in January, and is enjoying life in La Liga.

He said: “I shall do everything I can to stay on with Real Madrid. No-one can be as happy as I am now. Playing here is a dream come true, and I now feel useful again.

“But I don’t see myself succeeding at Real with dreadlocks, so that is why I have had them cut off!

“Give me a contract stating that we shall win the Champions League final 2-0 with both goals by Karim Benzema and I’ll sign it straight away!”

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Fernando Torres believes Chelsea can still defend their Premier League title this season.

Chelsea take on Manchester City on Sunday, when Torres will also celebrate his 27th birthday, well aware that they cannot afford any more slip-ups if they are to claw back the gap to leaders Manchester United.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side are currently fourth in the Premier League table, 12 points behind United with two games in hand and the Blues have yet to make the trip to Old Trafford.

Torres told the Sunday Mirror: “Yes, there are a lot of points between us and the top but we have a head-to-head with United still to come, which will be a pivotal game.

“The teams at the top of the table still have to come to our ground. So we have to play until the last game.

“United have a clear advantage and it’s in their hands, but a month ago it looked like we couldn’t fight for a position at the top of the table and in three matches things change.

“If we win we can take third place with a game in hand over them which would be a big boost for our confidence levels.”

Torres has yet to find the back of the net since his British record £50 million move from Liverpool to Stamford Bridge, but he remains confident the drought will soon end.

“There is no pressure,” he insisted. “People make me feel welcome here and as long as the team is winning things are going to be easier. The goals will arrive.”

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Roberto Mancini believes his reputation as a manager could be harmed by Mario Balotelli.

Balotelli was already seen as an enfant terrible at Inter Milan before Mancini managed to sign him for Manchester City last summer in a deal worth a reputed £23 million. And a series of injury setbacks, disciplinary problems and off-field indiscretions have not done anything to change that perception.

The striker was singled out for criticism by Mancini after Thursday night’s Europa League exit to Dynamo Kiev, with Balotelli missing a gilt-edged chance before being sent off for a high tackle on Goran Popov. It was the 20-year-old’s second red card of the season, to add to the eight yellows he has also been shown.

Balotelli escaped being dropped for Sunday’s game at Chelsea by publically apologising for that sending off, but Mancini says his antics must stop.

And the News of the World claimed on Sunday that Mancini was so incensed after the Dynamo match that he picked up a suitcase in the dressing room and threw it at the striker, shouting: “I don’t want to see your face again.”

Asked if his reputation was being harmed, Mancini told the Sunday Mirror: “Yes, this is true. I trusted him 100% but after this latest incident it’s very difficult to trust him. If he continues like this it is very difficult. I think it’s time for him to stop losing control. I don’t like this.

“I think that he’s a young player but it’s time he started to think with his head. Time to use his brain because if not it is very difficult. He’s a fantastic player but I don’t deserve this situation and neither does the club or the rest of the squad.

“Balotelli is not repaying my trust at the moment. He should work more to repay me. I work every day with him. And I hope that every day he can improve like a player, improve like a man.

“Our big players are not important just because they play well. They are important because they have to help their team-mates when we have a difficult game. Every day I speak with him. I know him very well. I know that he can become a strong player, one of the best players in Europe.

“He is very lucky because he plays football. When you play football it is a fantastic sport. You can play and enjoy every game, every training session. It’s not difficult. I would like him to understand better about his ­behaviour.”

Meanwhile, Man City were on Sunday linked with a £24 million move for Chile winger Alexis Sanchez, who plays for Udinese.

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Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia insists he has no axe to grind with Jens Lehmann following the former Germany international’s return to the club.

An injury crisis has led to manager Arsene Wenger coaxing Lehmann out of retirement on a month-to-month contract. But the two were known to not see eye-to-eye before Lehmann left for Vfb Stuttgart in 2008.

Almunia famously said that Lehmann “hates” him – something the current Gunners number one now chooses to forget – which made Wenger’s decision to bring back the German all the more surprising.

The pressure is mounting on Almunia after another high-profile error led to West Brom’s second goal in the 2-2 draw at the Hawthorns on Saturday – which means Lehmann could even find himself thrust into first-team action after the international break.

Almunia told the Sunday Express: “There are no problems. There is respect between us. We have keepers out injured. Jens was one of the best keepers in the world and has returned to give his best.”

When asked about his previous comment about their relationship, he added: “I don’t remember saying that. When he left Arsenal we spoke and he left on good terms. We have a good relationship. He’s here to compete with me and it’s a challenge. But I’ve always tried to help the team.”

However, in an interview with the Guardian in 2008, Almunia said: “I like to treat everyone with respect and I see everyone as equals. I treat people the way I would like to be treated myself. To have someone here who hates me is just amazing. I know he hates me.”

Wenger would not be drawn on the goalkeeping situation when asked after the draw with West Brom: “I do not want to go too much into individual criticism. The players involved in that second goal know what it was about and what was good was the reaction the whole team has shown and their fighting spirit.”

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Gerard Houllier says his Aston Villa players are “worried” about the team’s current form but insists he will get the points he needs to steer the club to safety.

The fans at Villa Park chanted for Houllier to be sacked during the 1-0 defeat to Wolves on Saturday and they now sit just one point above the relegation zone.

Villa have won just one of their last six games in the Premier League and Houllier accepts there is a “nervousness” about the side at present, but he says he is convinced he will steer the team clear of trouble.

“We need ten points [to be safe] and we will get them,” he said. “I am confident about that. Everyone is concerned about the fact we are going through a tough period.

“We are all worried. The players are worried and that is part of the nervousness we showed at times against Wolves.

“I didn’t feel the team was as free as it used to be. The first goal played a part and affected the morale and confidence of the team. We know we have some players who are suspended or injured and at some stage they will come back.”

He added: “We have quality players and I think we will [survive]. I am convinced we have everything it takes.

“It will be a fight but ‘game on’. I would love to have something different to aim at but that’s what it is. Let’s be realistic. I am not a dreamer, by far.

“We have quality in the team but at the moment it looks as if it is an unlucky period. We hope that will stop very quickly. At Bolton last weekend, we should have won. There are a few games we should have won.”

Houllier has urged the Villa fans to support the team as he looks to turn around the current run of form and he added: “Just reassure the fans, I know what I am doing. The fans call for your head but this is what happens when you don’t get the results. You have to live with that.”

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