Manchester City have unveiled extensive plans to develop a world-class first-team and youth training facility adjacent to the Etihad Stadium.

The ambitious Barclays Premier League club want to develop up to 80 acres of brownfield land as part of their recently-announced Etihad Campus project. City have spent three years planning a scheme which could take a further three to six years to come to full fruition.

When complete the facility will include an academy for 400 players, 16 football pitches, state-of-the-art first-team training and injury rehabilitation facilities, a 7,000-capacity stadium and staff offices.

It will bring all arms of the club together with a bridge linking the site to the Etihad Stadium and the rest of the Etihad Campus. The first team and some staff are currently based nine miles away from Eastlands at Carrington.

Former City midfielder Patrick Vieira, who last week retired to begin a new role as football development executive at the club, said: “The club have been working for three years to develop the best facilities for youth and first team and they have come up with something unbelievable.

“It will benefit the club and the city and I think everyone will be very proud that the city has a development like this.”

City have earmarked 5.5 acres of the site for further community use, which could include an education facility and a sports institute. A period of public consultation, featuring an exhibition at the Etihad Stadium, will begin this week.

City chief executive Garry Cook said: “Manchester City’s ambition is to be a successful and sustainable football club and youth recruitment and development through a top-class facility is a key component of that ambition.

“Our research to date has been painstaking and our planning comprehensive and whilst our plans would inevitably have a positive impact on both our young and established playing talent, the regenerative and economic impact for our community should not be underestimated.

“We welcome the views of all the communities we serve as we seek to submit planning permission for this most exciting of proposals.”

The Rugby Football League have ended any lingering hopes of a reprieve for one of the current Engage Super League clubs by confirming that the number of teams will remain at 14 from next season.

The RFL have already given the nod for Widnes to re-enter the top flight in 2012 and will announce the recipients of the other 13 three-year licences next Tuesday. That means one club will be demoted to the Championship at the end of this year and it could even be two if the RFL’s independent board of directors decide to award a licence to Halifax, who lost out to Widnes in March but are still in contention.

RFL chief executive Nigel Wood said: “The independent RFL board will ultimately decide which of the 15 clubs will be awarded the 13 remaining licences and their decisions will be based on the detailed and comprehensive assessment of each club’s application, a process which is very close to completion.”

Darren Clarke was clearly making the most of his first day as a major champion – and he hopes it is only four weeks until Lee Westwood is doing the same.

Up all night celebrating his Open success, the 42-year-old “People’s Champion” spared a thought for his long-time friend and world number two. Westwood is the younger by four years, but he was also playing his 54th major at Sandwich and by missing the halfway cut his wait goes on.

“Lee has done everything he can do to get himself into contention to win,” said Clarke, who flew home to Portrush on Monday to be re-united with his sons, Tyrone and Conor, and then to continue the partying. “He has been there many times. Unfortunately he’s had guys that have played better or have had the bounce of the ball. I’m sure things will go his way because he’s too good a player.”

He added: “The game is fickle – it hammers you. It hammers you and then it gives you something.

“Of all people, I think Lee Westwood deserves something to be given to him and I’m very sure that he will win majors and not just a major.”

Clarke followed Charl Schwartzel and Rory McIlroy as winners of the majors this season. And not only are they all members of the same management stable as Westwood, but last year’s Open champion Louis Oosthuizen is as well.

“Right now it’s been tough for him, obviously Rory winning and then me winning and stuff,” said Clarke. “But if I was a gambling man, I would have a substantial bet on Lee Westwood winning the PGA in Atlanta – I hope he does.”

The year’s final major on August 11-14 is now one of the events Clarke can add to his schedule.

Not just for this year, but for the next four as well, while his victory earns him an automatic place in The Open until 2030 and in The Masters – a tournament he has not played the last four times – until 2017.

It is an astonishing turnaround for a player who, a week ago, was 111th in the world and without a major top-10 finish for a decade.

Darren Clarke fulfilled one dream by winning The Open, but he has two more – returning to the Ryder Cup side next year and then becoming Europe’s captain at some point.

Clarke was one of Colin Montgomerie’s vice-captains in Wales last October and says of possibly taking charge one day: “It is definitely still an ambition. And if I get the opportunity to be Ryder Cup captain, possibly I may have a little bit more respect from players having been a major champion.

“When I’m possibly going to be captain I don’t know. It may or may not put my aspirations back a couple of years from when I thought I may have been.”

Jose Maria Olazabal will lead the team in Chicago in 14 months’ time, and Dubliner Paul McGinley, at 44 – two years older than Clarke – is favourite for Gleneagles in 2014.

Ulsterman Clarke’s popularity in America would make him a candidate for Hazeltine in Minnesota in 2016, when he would be 48.

Clarke’s last playing involvement was five years ago, when he had a stunning three wins out of three in Europe’s victory a mere six weeks after his wife Heather lost her breast cancer fight.

His triumph at Sandwich does not help him, though, in terms of gathering points for next year’s team. The qualifying race does not start until September.

“In saying that, I am a major champion,” he added. “Jose Maria will be paying attention, as he always does, so we’ll see where that brings me.”

Andre Villas-Boas has challenged his Chelsea squad to make themselves “untouchable” as he looks to deliver Champions League glory.

The 33-year-old former Chelsea scout returned to Stamford Bridge as the man charged by Roman Abramovich with bringing European success, a feat he achieved at Porto in the Europa League last season. Villas-Boas, though, knows it will ultimately be down to his team to deliver on the pitch.

“Untouchable is a person who continuously performs at a high level,” said Villas-Boas, set to make young Genk goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois his first new signing.

“Based on the trophies these players have won before and the success they have had, aren’t these the players you want in the end? Could be, no?

“As long as people are able to perform in training and the expectations of the fans and to a level of performance that is high and enables them to be in the starting 11 continuously, I don’t see why it shouldn’t happen.

“The most important thing for a leader is to be coherent in the decisions that he takes and it’s a principle I cannot let go.

“As long as people are able to perform to the highest level as top players, which they are, and the past also shows, then I have no problem with that.”

Villas-Boas also sees no reason why the Champions League success which eluded predecessors Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti should not follow.

“In the next years, for sure, the trophy will arrive in this club,” Villas Boas said. “Chelsea have been in a couple of semi-finals and also one final in recent times. I don’t see why we can’t go on to win it.”

He added: “I have to keep the standards high. Any person who sits on the manager’s job at Chelsea is expected to win. I cannot run away from that.”

Brazilian outfit Corinthians insist they have not yet struck a deal to sign Carlos Tevez from Manchester City.

Speaking in Vancouver on Sunday, Blues manager Roberto Mancini claimed an agreement had been reached between the two clubs and only personal terms had still to be thrashed out with the Argentina striker. However, Corinthians later released a statement on their own website insisting this is not the case.

“Regarding the news published during the early hours of (Monday) stating an agreement between Corinthians and striker Carlos Tevez, the (club) president Andres Sanchez would like to clarify to the public that Manchester City did not accept the Corinthians offer for the player,” the statement read.

“The truth is that the club sent Corinthians a counter-proposal in the early hours, that due to the time difference only was noticed by the Alvinegra (white and blacks) management this morning.

“In the counter-proposal, the English club have asked for changes in the form of payment and on the value of the transfer.

“In addition, Manchester City has also insisted that Tevez would have to give up a pending amount with the English club.

“Lastly, president Andres Sanchez informs that for the time being there does not exists anything concrete for Tevez and the counter-proposal will be analysed by him and by his management.”

Ivory Coast international Gervinho is determined to take his game to another level at Arsenal under the guidance of Arsene Wenger.

The 24-year-old forward has now completed his transfer from Lille, for what is understood to be an 11million fee, and will link up with the rest of the squad who have returned from a successful Asia tour. Gervinho caught the eye of plenty of Barclays Premier League clubs as his 18 goals spearheaded Lille’s drive towards a Ligue 1 and Coupe de France double.

“When you are young, you always want to improve, to work with great managers – and Arsene Wenger is one of the best in the world,” Gervinho told ArsenalPlayer.

“I think that with him, I will become a much better player, and he was very important in my choice to sign here.

“I came here because I believe that he can improve my game and help me reach another level, but the most important thing for me is that I bring a lot to the team for whom I am playing.”

Gervinho accepts it make take a few weeks to adapt to the English top flight, but he is determined to be up to speed when the Gunners kick off their Premier League campaign at Newcastle on August 13.

“I want to use my time here at Arsenal to develop my strengths,” he said.

“I know English football is harder and I might need a bit of time at the start, but ultimately it is down to me to raise my game and adapt.

“With the help of the team, I hope I can do that quickly.

“I will prepare well to be ready by the start.”

Summer signing Yohan Cabaye has become the third Newcastle player to be denied an entry visa for the club’s pre-season tour of the United States.

Press Association Sport understands the 25-year-old Frenchman, a 4.8million arrival from Lille, did not join the rest of the travelling party when they headed across the Atlantic yesterday and like Joey Barton and Nile Ranger, is to miss out on the trip.

Cabaye’s absence, which it is understood relates to a minor issue which has now been resolved, will come as a blow to manager Alan Pardew, who had hoped to assimilate his new signings into the squad during their time in America.

Pardew insisted last Thursday that Barton, whose application was rejected because of his spell behind bars for assault, would slip seamlessly back into the first-team squad on their return.

He, like Ranger, who was convicted for his part in a street robbery as a 15-year-old, will instead join the development squad when they head for their training camp in Holland later this week.

Cabaye, who will now also go to Holland, is another facing a frustrating wait to resume training with his new team-mates with he and fellow new arrivals Demba Ba, Sylvain Marveaux and Mehdi Abeid having only started work on Tyneside the week before last.

It has proved a difficult few days for Newcastle, who vowed over the weekend to take action against travelling fans who invaded the pitch during Friday night’s opening friendly victory at Darlington.

Pardew and his players were due to get down to work in Kansas on Monday ahead of Wednesday’s opening game of the tour against Sporting Kansas City at Livestrong Sporting Park.

They will continue their preparations when they face Orlando City on Sunday and Columbus Crew next Tuesday.