An action packed Premier League weekend is in store with some mouth watering fixtures with Arsenal’s trip to Villa and Liverpool’s visit to White Hart Lane the pick of the games. There is also a vital six-pointer at Upton Park, where for West Ham it is something of a must win game already.
In the papers this morning we have a mixed bag of stories from Carlos Tevez attacking money obsessed players; Reina’s fears for Fernando Torres, while David Moyes has revealed that he would love to sign David Beckham in January, plus much more.
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Roma willing to offer Liverpool Philippe Mexes for Dirk Kuyt – IM Scouting
Tevez attacks money-obsessed players – Guardian
Grant set for last stand – Daily Telegraph
Mario can be City’s Cantona – Sun
Reina fears Torres could bolt for the exit door – Mirror
Alex Ferguson contacts Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero to discuss move – IM Scouting
Redknapp in Comolli swipe – Sky Sports
Obi: We must get tough to win title – Sun
Shearer: Carroll can take up my mantle…for club AND country – Mirror
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I can see it now; Redknapp preparing speeches on his admiration of everyone else’s players, Pep Guardiola writing his wish list of Arsenal players to Santa “Rosell” Claus, Liverpool preparing £20m cheques for players that aren’t worth five and the media spend hours practicing writing phrases like ‘splash-out’, ‘Man City to pay £200m’ and ‘reported to have agreed’. Yes you guessed it; it’s the January ‘football media circus’ sales. City fans rub their hands together gleefully at the thought of more expensive players to sit on the bench and Arsene Wenger prepares his double bluff about not being interested in new signings. Is he going to sign somebody? Isn’t he? No he isn’t; but that doesn’t matter to the papers who hype themselves and the fans up into a frenzy that resembles the pre Christmas American tradition of Black Friday.
What is it about transfers that we love so much? Sometimes it even seems that fans are more interested reading about which players their team are going to sign rather than actually watching them play. I remember reading a piece about Arseblog in which he revealed that more people visited his site during the summer transfer window than any other period. A sad indictment of football fans perhaps. I’m not saying that I’m not guilty of being caught up in the furor of it all though. I enjoy the idea of going to watch newly bought stars week in week out just as much as the next fan. Who wouldn’t? No team in the league is perfect, even Man City have their flaws. Although it is doubtful that spending more money would particularly help their problems, unless they fancy buying the rights for the Europa League from Channel 5 and giving them to the BBC or Sky just so they don’t have to endure the punditry on arguably Britain’s worst TV channel.
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The best sorts of stories are the ambiguous player-for-sale stories. Take Fernando Torres for example. The rumour that he is available for £20m has got every fan in the world whose club has a spare £20m in the bank thinking this could be their man. It is just too easy for journalists. Where did this rumour come from? Andre Villas-Boas stringently denies this suggestion and like 99% of transfer rumours out there it was probably just some tabloid journalist trying to work out, off the top of his head, what a reasonable price would be for the Spaniard and then pairing that estimation up with the fact that Torres spends quit a bit of time on the bench. Logical yes, truthful no.
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The problem with this sort of behaviour in England is that there are laws protecting the sources that journalists use. They do not have to declare them if they don’t want to and what this leads to is the fabrication of sources, and in turn stories. However, that doesn’t mean that all stories are false. Who knows, maybe Torres does have a 60% off tag tied around his neck.
Every January it seems that we break the record for the amount spent collectively as a league. Last January clubs in the Premier League spent £225m, which was a record. However if you consider that £50m alone was spent on Torres and £35m was spent on Carroll then it seems unlikely we’ll reach those heights again. Maybe I’ll be proved wrong though. I heard from a ‘source’ that Liverpool are interested in signing Jermain Defoe for £25m and then selling him back to Spurs in six months time for half that amount. Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? That’s because I made it up, although it does fit with established formula of looking at a club’s recent transfer dealings and adding to it the sensationalist’s solution to a club’s problems. Maybe making up transfer rumours could be my new job, I think I could get the hang of it.
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We’ve all heard and seen it before within club football. Players using smaller teams as a stepping-stone to give them regular first team football and put themselves in the big boys shop window. However it seems like this disgusting exploitation of clubs has now stretched over into international football.
Last week Paul Scholes let his opinions be heard and claimed that the England team is full of self-centered players only interested in showing off to bigger clubs or securing a more lucrative contract. The recently retired midfielder quit the England scene in 2004 and many thought it was a combination of being played out of position and a hunger to further his club career that were the main reasons behind his decision to walk away from the three lions. Despite the efforts of Steve McClaren and Fabio Capello, who both tried to coax him out of international retirement, Scholes resisted their overtures.
Only now has this new reasoning behind Scholes’ international exile come to light and his words could prove to be disastrous for an England side already under heaps of pressure to bounce back from last years World Cup horror in South Africa. However what he says does make sense and resonates with a feeling I’ve had for years about new players coming into the England side. There is evidence to prove that players are using England caps for their own personal gain and that reaching the pinnacle of footballing recognition just doesn’t mean as much as it did in the past.
Scholes explained his feelings to the Daily Telegraph: “I always felt when I first started going away with England, players — especially players at clubs like your Aston Villas’s — try to use England as a way to get to a top club. Which, I don’t know, you feel: are they there for the right reason? I think they are very selfish people.
“It happened in my day, I think they are all there to get their bit of glory, their headlines, to think, ‘Oh, I will get a move from this’. That is the biggest problem with English players: that most of them are just too selfish”
Whilst I do partly agree with what Scholes is saying my opinion on the matter is that it’s the fault of the clubs for this sudden surge in one cap wonder signings. Both Andy Carroll and Jordan Henderson made their England debut last season in the defeat to France. Carroll was praised for his performance up front alone whilst Henderson slipped by the wayside after his abysmal showing. Despite the two contrasting performances both earned big money moves to two of the leagues top clubs despite their lack of experience at Premier League level. Even the likes of Michael Ricketts, Shaun Wright Phillips and Emile Heskey have made moves to bigger clubs in the wake of international recognition.
I’m 50-50 with Scholes and I am going to dispute his views even though he was actually a part of the England but I do disagree with his opinion that players use the national side as a stepping stone, it’s impossible. I do agree with the sentiment that playing for your country doesn’t mean what it used too. Players do expect the limelight to be on them when they’re thought to be good enough to represent their country. However I think it is the fault of the clubs who seem to want to snap up anyone who gets within a whisker of an England cap never mind trotting out onto the Wembley turf and actually performing.
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I honestly think it’s ridiculous to say that players are using England as a vehicle to a better career. It’s even more ludicrous to blame this as the reason why we’ve failed miserably when it comes to the World Cup and European Championships. I’d like to believe him but the truth is that some of the players that have played and are playing for England aren’t good enough to perform against the worlds best. The last 10 years have shown that Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard can’t play together for example. The squad never has any consistency unlike the Spainiards, who he mentioned all play for each other, with too many squad changes every game.
Frankly there are times when players in the England team look like they are playing for themselves but I don’t think it’s a deliberate ploy to garner interest from bigger clubs. Scholes’ insinuation that playing for your country isn’t as important as it used to be is 100% correct but to imply that players are stepping out with the three lions on their chest in an attempt to earn more pound coins is absurd. Sorry but those are the words of a bitter man.
David Gold will be welcomed back to St Andrews when Birmingham play West Ham in the Carling Cup, just weeks after he was barred.
The former Blues chairman was told to stay away from the ground when the two sides met recently in the Premier League, but the Hammers chief will be allowed to take his seat in the directors' box this time.
Gold was refused access to the whole stadium on grounds of personal safety after his comments in a national newspaper about his former club and in particular acting chairman Peter Pannu who he described as "disgusting".
However, Pannu is now ready to draw a line under the matter ahead of their two-legged semi-final, with the game at St Andrews set to take place on Wednesday, January 26.
Pannu said: "Birmingham City would like to take this opportunity to confirm David Gold is welcome at the stadium and the Blues board look forward to seeing him, and of course David Sullivan and all members of the West Ham board, at the game."
Gold fell out with his successor in the aftermath of the sale to Carson Yeung after claiming he had been promised the chance to stay on as chairman.
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Pannu denied ever making such as an offer and Gold was upset at insinuations that he had lost his mind.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Both Harry Redknapp and Pep Guardiola have stated that they will not entertain rumours linking them with the vacant manager’s position at Chelsea.
Andre Villas Boas was sacked from the Stamford Bridge hotseat on Sunday after a 1-0 defeat to West Brom the day before, with the club currently in fifth place in the Premier League.
Tottenham boss Redknapp is currently the frontrunner to become the new England boss, but has laughed off suggestions that he could be the new man in charge at Chelsea.
“That’s all I need,” he joked to Sky Sports.
“It would be difficult; I wouldn’t be able to come back to north London so I’d have to pass on that.
“But it’s a dream job for somebody. It’s a club you can win a championship at because the owner has spared no expense.
“He has built the most incredible training ground, they buy players at the top level, they have got top players so it is a dream job for somebody to go there and make a success of it – whoever they take.
“So many people would love that job and chance to work at a great club with the backing the manager gets there, but you’ve got to make a success of it. That’s the rules.
“If you don’t you are not going to last but if you do well the sky’s the limit,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Guardiola, who is out of contract at the end of the season at Barcelona, also felt that speculation over the Chelsea position had no substance.
“I speak every day with Chelsea,” he quipped sarcastically.
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“Villas-Boas seems like a great coach. The time (managers get) depends on the results, not on our abilities.
“I’m not capable of judging the reasons for his dismissal,” he concluded.
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was ecstatic as his side moved to the brink of a historic 19th Premier League title on Sunday.A goal from Javier Hernandez after 36 seconds and a first-half header from Nemanja Vidic set United on their way to a 2-1 win of reigning champions Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday.
They extended their lead at the top of the English Premier League to six points with two games remaining despite Frank Lampard pulling a goal back in the 69th minute.
United only need a point to guarantee the title and with games against struggling Blackburn and Blackpool to come, they are odds-on to claim their 19th crown and surpass Liverpool as the most successful club in English football.
“It’s fantastic to be the most successful team in the country,” Ferguson told Sky Sports.
“The minute we won that first title in 1992 the door opened and we’ve been involved in the first two all throughout that period. It’s a fantastic achievement.”
“For the last 17 or 18 years, it’s been Arsenal and Chelsea as our nearest challengers and the last few years it’s been Chelsea. Arsenal made a great attempt this year, but them losing today has finalised it.”
“We deserve the title and hopefully we’ll get that point now.”
Ferguson said United could have scored more with striker Wayne Rooney particularly unlucky.
“We could’ve scored six in the second half, but we expected a tough game and we got a tough game,” he said.
“We were brilliant. We got a great start, but (Petr) Cech made some fantastic saves.”
“When we gave the ball away for their goal, we were a bit nervy but the fans helped us. We kept making chances and Rooney could’ve scored six today.”
Carlo Ancelotti admitted Manchester United deserved to win the title after beating his Chelsea side 2-1, but re-iterated his desire to keep his job.
Ancelotti, who has only one year left on his contract at Stamford Bridge, is due for talks with owner Roman Abramovich later this month and is widely tipped to be facing the sack after Chelsea ended the season without a trophy. But the Italian does not want to go.
He said: “You know my position, I have another year of contract and I would like to stay. But I have to accept the decision of the club; they will take a decision at the end of the season so we wait and see.”
“Manchester United played better than us and deserved to win and deserved to win the title this year.”
“Manchester United has a possibility now to take a point that they need to win the title. We have another two games and we want to finish the season well.”
Tottenham and Milan got the knock-out phase of the Champions League underway in style on Tuesday night. AC Milan, by reputation alone, deserve giant status in football terms and Harry Redknapp certainly didn’t underestimate his rivals. Despite knowing full way that the Rossoneri are an aging side who are nowhere near living up to the Milan legend, his Spurs side produced a performance which, in European football terms, was as spot on as he could have possibly got it. Then there’s the small case of Arsenal v Barcelona, which didn’t fail to live up to its billing and featured a number of ‘great’ players.
But do these type of players deserve to be called ‘great’ just yet? Yes, Tottenham delivered a polished performance, but considering the type of players and teams who have graced our screens come Champions League time down the years where do the likes of Aaron Lennon and Luka Modric stand? What about Lionel Messi? There’s no doubt he will become one of the greats, but can we really say it yet?
I’ve compiled my best of the Champions League starting eleven. It’s debateable, sure. But I’ve chosen to go with players who have lasted the test of time playing at the pinnacle of club football and those who have delivered something memorable. Feel free to argue the case of a ‘great’ player left out of the all-time 11.
Click on the trophy below to see the The Greatest Champions League XI of all time
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You only have to look at the way Manchester United have started this season to recognise the impact great young players can have on a team. However, not all are good enough to play straight away in the first team. Perhaps they are better off in staying at their first club for a little bit longer before making their big move.
Spurs youngster John Bostock could well fall into this category. Since making his move from Crystal Palace in 2008, the 19-year-old has struggled to make an impact. He hasn’t made a single league appearance for Spurs. He has had loan spells at Hull City and Brentford. It’s easy to say now but in hindsight, he would have been much better off to stay at Crystal Palace for a few more years to continue his development.
Playing with Palace would have given him grounding and a much better chance of playing first team football. Although it’s very hard to turn down the overtures of a club like Spurs, there is a lot to be gained out of playing regular first team football at a young age. There’s the experience you gain from it and also the more somebody plays, the more he will grow in confidence.
Had Bostock been playing consistent first team football for the past three years, barring any injury he might have picked up, he would have arguably developed much more than he has at Spurs. The proof will come in how long it takes for his career to launch from here, if it all.
The short term gains of a move will always be much more prominent in the mind of a young player. For example, by leaving for a bigger club, they will earn more money and their profile as a player will be raised significantly. There is also the opportunity to work with better players and potentially better coaching staff. The standard of facilities would also feature somewhere in a player’s thoughts. From the clubs point of view, they will want to integrate into their way of playing as soon as possible. Look at the style possessed by all of the players who come out of Barcelona’s La Masia.
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You have to wonder whether it is worth players moving from the perceived smaller club when in all likelihood they will just get sent out on loan or play reserve team football. Players would be much better off playing in competitive lower leagues with their club. The Championship and League One are good platforms for a young player to excel.
Perhaps it is now the modern way to move when you’re young to give you more time to progress at your next club. However, Connor Wickham is a player who made a big move this summer to the Premier League. He might well have benefited from another year in the Football League.
Wickham has made an inauspicious start to his career on Wearside. At the age of 18, he would surely have been better off continuing to learn his trade in the Championship, a league where he scored 13 goals in 65 appearances in total. That is not the greatest record for a striker but who’s to say he wouldn’t have improved that this season with Ipswich. Instead he moves to Sunderland for £8 million and expected to be one of their main goal scoring outlets. The pressure on him will only increase with the departure of Asamoah Gyan to the UAE.
It begs the question whether players are being advised by the right people. Agents don’t seem to have the best interests of their client’s playing career at hand. They seem to focus on what will make the most financial sense to them and the player. There is no doubt that Connor Wickham will earn significantly more at Sunderland this year then he would have at Ipswich. It might not have hurt him so much to say he’d like to stay at Ipswich for another season to develop further.
Maybe there is a fear factor for players like Wickham. If they turn down the move now, will they ever get the chance again? That comes down to how confident they are in their ability. The more confident players are able to turn down the overtures in the knowledge they will continue to impress.
It’s not necessarily the same with young players abroad. Borussia Dortmund’s Mario Gӧtze has already signalled his intentions that he wants to stay in Germany for another year. Under the stewardship of Jurgen Klopp who has manufactured a team with many great young prospects, that cannot be a bad thing for Gӧtze.
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It is understandable how players see the bright lights of clubs like Manchester United and immediately want to join them. However, in terms of a player’s career, they would perhaps be better off to stick it out at their club for a little while longer, learning their trade and playing regularly even if it is at a lower level.
Under the ownership of NESV and John Henry, Liverpool have undertaken a massive and expensive rebuilding programme. The club are certainly on the up at the minute and Kenny Dalglish’s return to management after an 11-year absence from the game has gone as well as could be hoped by this point. However, in a recent interview, owner John Henry alluded to the fact that the club may have overpaid for some its talent – is this a theory that holds up upon closer inspection?
The genial Henry argued: “There was a lot of criticism in Boston that we weren’t going to spend money on the Red Sox after we did the LFC transaction. We spent something like $300m in the off-season in Boston, and then there was the fear we wouldn’t spend in Liverpool. It is really surprising, ironic, to be now accused of overspending. Usually owners are accused of the opposite.”
Of course, he was referring as much to the Boston Red Sox’s expenditure as Liverpool’s, but the creeping suspicion that the owner may feel that the club have failed to achieve value for money is something that has seeped through to the terraces.
Since January last season the club have spent £112.8m on transfers while recouping £77.95m, giving a net spend (for all you Rafa Benitez fans out there) of just £34.85m. It’s difficult to argue against the fact that the quality of the squad has increased. There is more strength in depth and competition for places. The result has seen Liverpool slowly but surely climb up the table and become a force to be reckoned with once again.
A lot has been made of Sporting Director Damien Comolli’s role at the club and his preference for the Moneyball system of using statistics to back up the club’s scouting network system with regards to purchasing players.
The big elephant in the room with this theory has been the poor performances of Andy Carroll who cost the princely sum of £35m. Comolli stated that Carroll’s price was somewhat irrelevant as the club were always prepared to pay £15m less than whatever Torres was eventually sold to Chelsea for. However, this does seem a tad disingenuous, because if Liverpool had sold Torres, for say, £25m, Newcastle would have flat out refused to sell Carroll for £10m.
Comolli argues that: “The whole principle is about creating value, and managing to find a player in the market who is underestimated financially compared to his stats.”
Taking a look at Liverpool’s purchases since this policy was implemented and it is fair to say that there is a mish-mash of bargains, gambles on future potential and those that appear to be justifying their price tag. About par with any other football club, then. Let’s take a closer look at the individuals.
Jose Enrique has solved Liverpool’s long-running problem at left-back since the departure of John Arne Riise at a cost of just £6m and Luis Suarez has been magnificent since his £22.8m move from Ajax – making a mockery of the those that questioned whether he’d be able to make the transition from the Eredvisie to the Premier League smoothly.
Charlie Adam looks to be a decent squad member and at £8m, he certainly delivers an end product in terms of goals and assists, but with just one-year left on his deal and at a relegated club, you’d have hoped Liverpool could have got him for fractionally cheaper. Still, while people, myself included, may have their reservations on whether he has the sufficient quality to take Liverpool forward, he looks to be a favourite of Dalglish’s in his new-look Liverpool side this season.
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Stewart Downing is simply not worth £20m, though. There’s no other way around it. He lacks the pace to truly trouble a top quality full-back and his delivery can range from the fantastic to the feeble. Liverpool have certainly overpaid with him, but to be fair, Villa’s price estimation was driven up largely because of the earlier departure of Ashley Young in the same transfer window – a player Liverpool are said to have prioritised over Downing and subsequently missed out on.
Jordan Henderson remains a player that divides the opinion of not only Liverpool fans but even those with just a casual interest in football. He’s cost £16m up front with potential add-ons of £4m. For a 21 year-old that’s versatile, pacy and intelligent, that doesn’t appear to be too far off the mark.
Henderson is hampered not by his price tag, but of other people’s preconceptions about him. He’s a subtle player with great vision and decent distribution. When you factor in the English premium, the price, while obviously over the top considering his relative inexperience, isn’t as far as, say, Downing’s is for me personally. He’s simply not the match-winning mini-Gerrard the media have often made him out to be, but that shouldn’t detract from the player he currently is and could be.
Carroll is the truly troubling one, though. Admittedly, he has been hampered by injuries since his arrival, but the side are in danger of leaving him behind. In his absence, Luis Suarez has struck up a good understanding with the rest of his new team mates and they appear to operate best in a fluid 4-5-1 formation without the Geordie front man.
While it is still far too early to label Carroll a flop, considering the circumstances, he does look to be rather leggy and a lot easier to bully off the ball than he did in his Newcastle pomp. He represents a pressing concern, particularly given the huge outlay on him, but there is still plenty of time for him to come good.
Sebastien Coates arrives with a burgeoning reputation within the game following his exploits with Uruguay in their successful bid to win the Copa America. He will take time to settle and adjust to the pace of the league, but so long as people are patient with him, at £6m, his potential is enormous.
Craig Bellamy could just prove to be the bargain of the entire transfer window. Adaptable to several different roles and formations, his spirit and pace are a great asset to have in the armoury.
John Henry is indeed correct, it is strange for a club to be criticised for over-spending. No other club in the Premier League would ever be accused of something so cynical. When you analyse the team’s squad since the NESV came into ownership of the club, then it has without question improved significantly.
On the issue of whether the club has overpaid, purely on a transfer by transfer basis, like any club, they have for some players and haven’t for others. Carroll and Downing remain the two players that I’d personally be keeping an eye on although others will contest Henderson should be in there too.
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Buying players based on solely on potential is an inherently risky business. With the new rules coming into force about the number of home-grown and English players eligible for each Premier League club’s 25-man squad, the change in emphasis is understandable.
NESV have a long-term ambition for the club, which includes speculating on potential. Not every transfer will come off and they will overpay for some in the process, just like they have done so already. But as with every rebuilding process, mistakes will be made, but what is most important is patience and the belief that they’ll get more things right than wrong. So far, Comolli and Dalglish appear to have subscribed to this view.
You can follow me on Twitter @JamesMcManus1
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Alessandro Del Piero is determined to stay at Juventus and is waiting to be offered a new contract, according to his brother and agent.
Del Piero, 36, has amassed club records in appearances and goals since joining the Old Lady in 1993, but he is yet to be officially told his contract will be extended beyond its June expiry.
The veteran striker was initially non-committal over his future at the Stadio Olimpico but has since indicated he would prefer to stay at the club he joined from Padova as an 18-year-old.
Now that the January transfer window has closed, Del Piero is hoping Juve will reward him with a contract extension into the 2011/12 season.
“We’ve waited until the transfer window closed because it was right to give Juventus the serenity needed at this stage of the season,” Stefano Del Piero, the player’s agent and brother, told Ansa.
“There will soon be a number of exploratory meetings and in the first we will be told by Juventus what their intentions are.”
“Alessandro has decided that he wants to stay, but it will depend on the club to define how that will happen.”
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“If Juventus don’t intend to continue with Alessandro then we would be disappointed, but we would take note of that fact with mutual respect.”
It is believed Juve are keen to offer their club legend a pay-as-you-play extension over the next season, with a clause allowing Del Piero to become a future club director at the Old Lady.