Stoke City manager Tony Pulis believes Eidur Gudjohnsen can play a key part in the Potters' season.
Pulis snapped up the Iceland international on deadline day as well as Marc Wilson, Jermaine Pennant and Salif Diao and was pleased with his late transfer business.
He said:"If the new players work as hard as the rest of the players do, with that little bit of extra quality they have, you hope it will make us a better team.
"Over the next 12 days Eidur will do a mini pre-season with Salif and hopefully be ready for Aston Villa (on September 13).
"He is a fantastic player and will add that bit of extra quality we want.
"We paid £1.5million for Wilson, plus the two other players (Liam Lawrence and Dave Kitson) going that way, so we think that is good business.
"He has good qualities, has had Premier League experience and is one we hope will come in and grow with this club.
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"We spoke right at the start of pre-season to find out what the situation was (with Pennant) but it was too difficult a deal to do then.
"As we got closer to the deadline the deal became more viable to us as a football club."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
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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Chelsea skipper John Terry has held his tongue over the controversial missed penalty against Manchester United for fear of UEFA punishment.The Blues were incensed that a late appeal for a penalty went begging in their 1-0 Champions League loss at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
Midfielder Ramires was cut down by United’s Patrice Evra in the final moments of stoppage time, in what appeared to be a clear-cut decision, but referee Alberto Undiano was unmoved.
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti said afterward it was a penalty and Terry agreed, though he stopped short of offering more to avoid being rubbed out for the return leg at Old Trafford.
“It was clear. Even from 50 or 60 yards away I could see Ramires got the first touch,” Terry said.
“After the game, we watched it on the video like everyone else. It was a clear penalty. Anywhere else in the world – at the Camp Nou, Old Trafford, San Bernabeu – it’s a penalty.”
“I think the most frustrating thing for the players is that we can’t come out here and be honest about it.”
“We would face possible bans. We’re seeing players receiving bans left, right and centre for speaking honestly after games.”
“You guys lose out, the players can’t be honest and we end up walking on eggshells. Unfortunately I can’t say more about it.”
The 30-year-old acknowledged Chelsea had performed below their best in the quarter-final but remained steadfast in his belief his side can turn around the aggregate next Tuesday.
“Being the home tie you would have expected a little bit more from us,” he said.
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“But it’s clearly not over, we’re not giving up and by no means are the lads getting their heads down.”
“We are still right in the tie; we can do what they’ve done tonight. As the manager said, ‘it’s not over, it’s half-time’.”
“We did it last year, we went up there and beat them 2-1 when nobody expected us to. So we are capable of going up there and winning.”
After six seasons outside the Premier League, Leeds United are in a position to get back to where a club of their stature belongs. Three years in the Championship, followed by three in League One, have been tough to take for Leeds fans; this is not what they are used to. Many are still old enough to have seen Don Revie’s dominance in the 60’s and 70’s or Howard Wilkinson’s era in the early 90’s, but there is a new generation of fans who have never seen their side compete with the best in the country. Unfortunately for them, it may suit in the long run, if they wait just that bit longer.
Regardless of how big a club is, successive promotions to the Premier League is a big ask, and holding grasp of that momentum to then avoid relegation is even greater. Under Graham Taylor, Watford reached the top flight after successive promotions in 1998 and 99, only to finish bottom the following year and head back to the second tier. Manchester City, a club with greater resources than most that come up to the Premiership, repeated the trick a year later, only to suffer the same fate.
It took Leeds three years to get out of League One because they were such a big scalp for teams; suddenly relatively small clubs had the chance to go to Elland Road in what must have felt like a cup tie, and try to take points off the big boys. This year the club may benefit from being more of a peer to the rest of the sides they face, despite still being one of the bigger clubs in the division.
As ever, the Championship remains one of the most competitive leagues going; any number of teams can lay claim to a promotion push including Hull, Burnley, Middlesbrough, Cardiff, Sheffield United, Forest, Bristol City, Derby and on and on…While Leeds have as good a squad as most, they are up against it, and it is a squad that would struggle in the Premiership, even with a few additions. Losing Jermaine Beckford is a massive blow, as strikers of that ability are a rare breed at that level, whether the likes of Luciano Becchio and Billy Paynter can score the 31 goals Beckford scored last season, only time will tell.
I still believe that Leeds’ promotion to the Premiership is a matter of ‘when’, rather than ‘if’, with that level of fan base, history and stature they will be able to attract better and better players to the club. Not being a fan of Leeds myself, it may be easier for me to say, but an element of patience is required from the Leeds fans. They can be secure in the knowledge that the club is moving in the right direction. After what must have been a pretty sickening few years in West Yorkshire, the club has turned a corner and is getting back on its feet. Fans also have to be aware how many clubs are trying to achieve the same goal. A season, maybe more, of consolidation is far better preparation for Simon Grayson’s men to have the armoury to survive the Premier League. The last thing the club needs is another relegation, and after such a topsy-turvy last five years, the relative boredom of a mid-table finish may provide a far more secure platform from which to launch their next great era.
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With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery
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Premier League Manchester City maintained their 100% start to the season with a comfortable 5-1 win over Norwich at the Etihad Stadium.
Roberto Mancini’s side strolled to all three points against the Canaries to extend their lead at the top to seven points over rivals United who take on Aston Villa in Saturday’s evening kick off. Sergio Aguero grabbed the opener just after the half hour in what proved to be a frustrating first half for the hosts as Paul Lamberts plucky side managed to contain and foil a world class attack that struggled to get going during the first half. After the restart it was a different story with Yaya Toure curling in with further goals coming from Samir Nasri, Mario Balotelli and Adam Johnson with Steve Morison grabbing a consolation for the visitors. Mancini’s men were searching for a seventh consecutive win at the Etihad Stadium but found the opening forty five minutes tough as Norwich put eleven men behind the ball in an effort to quell the threat of City’s multi-million pound forward line.
It worked so well until the 32nd minute for the home side to break the deadlock with Aguero showing great balance and close control to twist and turn away from a sea of Norwich bodies before poking the ball past John Ruddy for his 13th of the season. That weight off City’s shoulders saw them come out for the second half intent on putting Norwich to the sword with Nasri doubling their lead six minutes after the restart in somewhat fortuitous circumstances. The Frenchman saw his seemingly harmless 35-yard-free kick take a wicked bounce in front of Ruddy and skid into the bottom corner of the net to dampen any Norwich hopes of a surprise comeback. It was open season now for the home side and Toure ensured they would score three at home for the sixth time this season curling home from just inside the area.
However the Canaries would go down fighting and snatched themselves a consolation goal via the head of Morison after the Welsh forward beat Gael Clichy to Marc Tierney’s cross to send the ball past Joe Hart. City who would have the final say on proceedings though with substitutes Balotelli and Johnson getting their names on the scoresheet. Firstly, the broody Italian nonchalantly made it 4-1 with two minutes to go knocking the ball in with with his shoulder on the goal line after his initial effort had been saved by Ruddy. Johnson then put the gloss on City’s 12th win of the season finishing superbly from the 15-yards after captain Vincent Kompany’s long pass found him in acres of space which afforded him time to shape himself and roll the ball into the net.
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With the “golden generation” coming to the end of their playing careers there have been a number of emerging youngsters in the Premier League over the last two seasons. This season has the seen the likes of Gareth Bale and Jack Wilshere grab headlines with their outstanding performances for Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal respectively, and there is no doubt that they will be two key players to watch next season and for many years to come.
But there are also a number of other emerging talents in the next generation of footballers who we will start to see making headlines. Whilst the internet has seen an increase in hype around players with potential compared to recent decades, the following list of top ten players for the future are names that could become first-team regulars for their clubs in the Premier League.
Although there will be some omissions from the following list, these are definitely ten players at the very least to keep an eye out for towards the end of the current season when managers decide to give youngsters a run out, or during the pre-season in the summer. The 2011-2012 year could be the season for this generation of highly skilled players, so let’s get the ball rolling and have a look at these wonder kids…
Click on Ignasi Miquel below to see the Top TEN
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Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher has admitted he wants to end his career at the club.
The Scotland international has been at the club for a decade and has already made 255 appearances for Sir Alex Ferguson's first team.
The 26-year-old is dreaming of emulating the successes of veterans Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville, who still remain at Old Trafford.
Speaking to reporters, he said:"You look at it as a step down if you leave. If you're lucky enough to stay, you'll have played at the top for your whole career and it doesn't get much bigger than Manchester United.
"Players who left say, 'think twice before you leave, because there's nowhere like Manchester United.'
"Everything about the club makes it the place you want to be. No-one really thinks about leaving when you're here.
"Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs are almost like urban legends. They're fantastic role models for younger players like me to have."
Meanwhile, Fletcher has admitted he can see why the likes of David Beckham and Thierry Henry have opted to join Major League Soccer in the United States.
The Red Devils are currently in America as their pre-season preparations continue and the Scot has been impressed with what he has witnessed so far.
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"Everything about MLS and America – it's a great country – appeals to players," he added."You see how MLS has progressed, the league keeps getting bigger. It's a massively growing sport.
"There are great teams that would be big attractions to players. I wouldn't be surprised to see more players head out here."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Love him or hate him, it’s safe to say Gary Neville is never short of an opinion. As a pundit he has finally found a niche to express said opinions without being fined a hefty amount by the FA, and let’s face it, he is the signing of the season. Anyone who saw his face after the Manchester Derby – especially people who aren’t exactly fans – would justify sky’s hefty subscription fee for that alone.
This week, as we approach yet another pointless international break, Gary has weighed in with another opinion – England should scrap the old guard and let the youth come through for the sake of future international tournaments.
It cannot be denied that Neville has a point here. The extent to which people will agree with the point however is sure to be varied. There will inevitably be some who feel that experience is paramount, and sticking with at least certain players who have been ever present for England is something that must be done – at least for this summer.
Yet who are these players? The captain of this country, John Terry, personal problems aside, has not been at the top of his game for a couple of seasons now, and Rio Ferdinand cannot even make the England squad due to injuries and young talent at United. Likewise the heart of the midfield is somewhat dubious now, with Gerrard looking nowhere near fit and Lampard dividing critics as always.
Out of the players that have been ever present for England recently, Wayne Rooney will always be a starter, and it cannot be denied that losing him for the group stages of the tournament is a real blow – although not one we cannot counteract – yet will this be done through players such as Peter Crouch and Bent or Sturridge and Welbeck? Likewise players such as Ashley’s Young and Cole are always worth places in the squad, and there can clearly be a case made for experience in their cases.
The team however does not need to entirely comprise of the older generation, and the form certain ‘youngsters’ have been in for their clubs is simply too good to be ignored. Jones and Smalling have been a revelation at United, and despite yet another inexplicable overlook from Capello, across the city Micah Richards is arguably the best right back this country has. All this doesn’t even mention the young talent such as Wilshire and McEachran, who are sure to be England starters one day.
A brilliant point made by Neville was the fact that the bond that is shared by the crop on Under 21’s now is far better than the one the older players ever had – especially after the John Terry allegations – should a guilty verdict be passed down, not only will this make a relationship between JT and Ferdinand untenable, but Terry surely cannot retain either the armband for England or Chelsea. It speaks volumes that Capello is prepared to play the central defender this weekend, but after reinstating him as captain after previous misconduct, it does not come as a shock.
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Too much respect is handed to the former first teamers, with both player power and a fear of not selecting certain players being present far longer than Fabio Capello has been in the job – Sven and Beckham anyone? The question of if the England job is a poisoned chalice has been said more than once, and Capello has so far only done slightly better than the wally with a brolly, and come the start of the Euro’s will only have four weeks left in the job. As Neville rightly says, his priority will be the present, and why should he be interested in the future of a country he, in reality has little affection for?
Whilst the current crop of what we world call the England first team are reaching the twilight of certainly their national careers, and in some cases are facing a dwindling influence at their clubs, there is a case that the ‘golden generation’ tag has come slightly too soon. To look at players like Joe Hart, Richards, Wilshire, Welbeck and Sturridge, they are not just brilliant players as individuals, but can also function as a team.
This is something that the current England team, especially their midfield – has never really been able to do. Club divisions and clicks not to mention selfishness has blighted the national team for too long – yet this is not seen in the under 21’s. Stuart Pearce has managed to form a squad of players who are more concerned about the overall result and others than themselves as individuals.
Whilst blessed with a wealth of talent, the Spanish team were not able to reach the heights they are at now without becoming about the collective, not the individual. The same problem has blighted Holland for so long, with a multitude of ex-players saying dressing room divisions had a major impact on the field. One of the best players to wear a football shirt, Paul Scholes, stated that fellow England players were just too selfish and were more bothered about looking good themselves than seeing England perform well as a team.
This is not a problem the younger players coming through seem to have, and there is more than a small case for said players to be included in the squad for this summer. Yes they may lack the experience of International football, yet most play for clubs in the Champions League, and the standard in such competitions is as high, if not higher than that of International football and are not adverse to pressure and ‘big game occasions.’
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So whilst there are players the wrong side of thirty that can make an impact at the Euro’s, it may well be the young stars who really shake up the competition if they are given the chance. Should Capello persist and play what has become the familiar but unsuccessful English team, it will be a fitting swansong for a manager who has never really fallen in love with the country, players or job and the long suffering fans will have to hope that the next generation really are the long awaited ‘golden generation.’
Inconsistent at best in the Bundesliga, Schalke will hope their cup form continues against Valencia in the Champions League on Wednesday.A traditional powerhouse of the German game, Schalke finished second in 2009/10, five points behind champions Bayern Munich. They recruited extensively in the close season, bringing in defender Christoph Metzelder and veteran forward Raul from Spanish giants Real Madrid, as well as Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar from Serie A side AC Milan. But Felix Magath’s widespread changes fizzled and the team made a slow start to the season. They went back into the transfer market in January and brought in Greece international Angelos Charisteas and highly-rated midfielder Anthony Annan, who impressed for Ghana in the 2010 World Cup.Still the struggles have continued – they have won only two out of eight league games in 2011 and are a disappointing 10th in the table.The only encouragement this season has been the team’s form in cup competitions. They topped their Champions League group ahead of Lyon and Benfica and are in the final of the DFB Pokal after knocking out holders Bayern Munich with a 1-0 semi-final win last week.True to their unpredictable form, they followed up that triumph with a 1-0 defeat to relegation strugglers Stuttgart in the league on Saturday.Nevertheless, Magath’s men secured a promising 1-1 draw at Valencia’s Mestalla Stadium in the first leg of their round-of-16 tie on February 16. The away goal, netted by Raul to become the leading scorer in European Cup history, could yet prove crucial.Valencia meanwhile have impressed this season, but are a distant third behind La Liga juggernauts Barcelona and Real Madrid.While they have little hope of breaking up the two-horse race for the Spanish title, Valencia could represent a nasty obstacle in the latter stages of the Champions League – but only if they can overcome Schalke at the Veltins-Arena on Wednesday.Forward Juan Mata has stepped up this season to fill the void left by the departures of David Villa and David Silva, while French full-back Jeremy Mathieu has proved to be a genuine threat on the left flank.
Manchester City’s Shaun Wright-Phillips looks to be heading out of the Eastland’s club this summer as Roberto Mancini continues to fine tune his City project.
With already various acquisitions added so far, a number of City players are more than likely to be put on the market including Shaun Wright-Phillips. The winger wants a move away from the Manchester club this summer following a dispute with his manager and club owners over an improved deal which would have matched the top players’ wages at City.
With his exit imminent, it’s shaping up to be a three-way tussle for the 28-year-olds signature this summer, with Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal all expressing their interest in the England international. With that being said, which club would represent the best move for Shaun Wright Phillips this summer?
Arsenal
Wright-Phillips could potentially do a great job for Arsenal. He has the right level of technical ability and looks to be in the mould of a future Gunner. The winger has great pace, agility and loves to utilize this by bombing down the flanks. The one thing that may hinder Wright-Phillips would be that the Gunners do acquire a lot of players in his preferred position already. Samir Nasri, Theo Walcott, Thomas Rosicky, Andrey Arshavin, Emmanuel Eboue are the main players in the Arsenal ranks that occupy the flanks. However, this is not to say Wright-Phillips can’t get ahead of them, but ideally the Englishman would want first team football week in week out. Arsene Wenger would be a perfect management figure for the winger, as the Frenchman is known to recreate and enhance players’ abilities to the max. The North London club are currently the favourites to land the 5’ 5’’ City player for an estimated £6 million fee, but wages certainly seem to be the stumbling block for the North London club. Wright-Phillips still has two years left on his £60,000-a-week deal at City, and with the Englishman wanting an improved salary of up to £90,000-a-week (as reported), Wenger may not bother unless his demands are lowered.
Suitability Rating: 8/10 – The player would make a good addition to the Arsenal squad because of the technical ability he possesses, but Wenger already acquires a lot of players like him in his squad.
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Tottenham
Spurs don’t desperately need to acquire the Englishman’s services this summer, as like Arsenal, they have a lot of options already in this specific position. However, he could make a good addition to Redknapp’s squad this season. Wright-Phillips pace and forward runs are a danger to any opposing team, and with Aaron Lennon already on the books at White Hart Lane, the possible prospect of the two on either flanks would be frightening to see. The winger also has Champions League experience under his belt from his days at Chelsea which could come in handy for Redknapp as Spurs look forward to a possible venture into Europe’s finest competition. The 28-year-old’s price tag of £6 million would not pose any sort of problem for the Champions League bound side, but Redknapp has shown concerns over the e player’s wages. To be honest Tottenham could do a lot better than Shaun Wright-Phillips. Redknapp does have sufficient funds available to utilize this summer, and should consider other options before making a hasty decision. With that being said, £6 million for Shaun Wright-Phillips would not be a gamble but a bargain for Spurs as they look to strengthen their squad for the season ahead.
Suitability Rating: 8/10 – Redknapp could attain a finer player if he in fact wants to add another winger to his squad this summer…although, the prospect of Wright-Phillips and Lennon would look very good. The City winger also has Champions League experience which would bold well for the squad this season.
Liverpool
If Wright-Phillips is looking for first-team football then Liverpool is the club to be going to right now (sorry if I offend any Red fans by stating this). I say this of course because Liverpool will need to add depth on their flanks after the recent departure of Yossi Benayoun to Chelsea last week, and Albert Reira looking to follow suit as well. If the worst happens and Torres does decide to leave Liverpool this summer, then the likelihood is that current wide-man Dirk Kuyt would be the focal point of attack for the forthcoming season, which evidently would create even more problems on the wing. Personally, Wright-Phillips would suit Liverpool and could do a great job for the famous club because of the attributes he possesses. Liverpool lack speed and Wright-Phillips could offer this to them, should Liverpool of course take their interest further than an enquiry. The City winger would almost certainly be guaranteed first-team football as Liverpool have limited options available in the position the Englishman plays in. Of course Wright-Phillips would have to deal with the fact that Liverpool will not be participating in the Champions League this season, but one thing is for sure, he will be getting games at the Merseyside club. Even if Torres does decide to stay, Roy Hodgson should still look to acquire Wright-Phillips in order to reinforce his midfield selection. Hodgson has been guaranteed a transfer budget of £12 million, which potentially could rise to £40 million with the sales of some star players during the window. Hodgson is also chasing down Villa’s Ashley Young, who maybe a better player than Wright-Phillips and of course younger, but will no doubt cost more in the market. As stated before the £6 million price tag placed on the City’s players head is a bargain, and certainly a cheaper option than Ashley Young. Again, the only thing that may divert Hodgson’s interest would be the player’s wages, but surely something could be negotiated there.
Suitability Rating: 9/10 – In my opinion Wright-Phillips should move to Liverpool this summer, simply because he will be granted regular first-team football. A good price for a good player, and one that is desperately needed if Fernando Torres leaves this summer.
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