Manchester United and Tottenham Hotpsur face an uphill battle to sign highly rated Benfica winger Nico Gaitan after Inter Milan opened talks with the Portuguese club, according to talkSPORT.
Gaitan has impressed United in recent seasons and the Red Devils were set to tempt the Argentina international to England in the summer to replace the departing Nani.
Spurs were also keen on the £15million rated winger with Gareth Bale taking up a more central position in recent months, but it seems the Premier League pair have missed their chance.
Inter Milan are set to offer Benfica £12million plus winger Ricky Alvarez for Gaitan and talks are set to continue this week.
Mega rich Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala are also reported to be interested in the winger and have the funds to be able to outbid the three other sides in the running for his signature.
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Swansea travel to North London looking for their first ever victory at White Hart Lane. They have never won a Premier League match against Tottenham and never won in 12 outings in the League against them.
They have only managed to pick up a dismal 2 points in total but with have renewed faith that this Sunday will be their lucky day having reached the Capital One Cup semi-final midweek.
Spurs will be looking to bounce back from their disastrous collapse at Goodison Park last weekend conceding two goals at the death. AVB’s men still remain firmly within touching distance of the top four so won’t be unduly concerned about their prospects just yet.
They should take note of the Welsh club as they look to secure back to back North London victories this season having despatched Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates not so long ago.
AVB will be without Gareth Bale (Hamstring) as Clint Dempsey looks to continue his impressive display of form deputising in the midfielder’s absence.
The Premier League clash may have come just too soon for Scott Parker who is on the verge of a return to the Spurs set up, adding much needed steel to the midfield, though he could make the bench.
Dawson and Benoit Assou Ekotto look doubts for the fixture with the latter only recently returning to light training. Younes Kaboul (knee) is also set to be out until next year.
Michael Laudrup will continue on with 34 year old Gerhard Tremmel as the impressive Michel Vorm remains on the sidelines.
Ashley Williams served a one-match ban for accumulating five yellow cards in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday, so will return to the starting XI on Sunday. Neil Taylor remains a long term injury yet is expected to put pen to paper to a new deal to keep him at the club when he returns.
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Tottenham have only failed to hit the back of the net in the League once this season and only Everton have matched this impressive record. So Spurs will be looking to get in amongst the goals again on Sunday.
With less than 48 hours before the close of the January transfer window, there is still plenty of work at Liverpool left to do with both comings and goings within the squad, with a couple of moves still up in the air and a bit of deadwood to shift on.
The 40-year-old spoke of his desire to add a few fresh faces before the end of deadline day, telling reporters last week: “We hope to do some business between now and the end of the month. We know we still need one or two additions more and the club are doing everything they can to assist me in that.” With that in mind, what are the five things above all else that manager Brendan Rodgers needs to do before deadline day?
Decide what to do with Tom Ince – The club have taken a tough stance in transfer negotiations with Blackpool over the future of the England U-21 international winger, with Rodgers et al refusing to kowtow to Karl Oyston’s demands, the rather shady Seasiders chairman. Liverpool, somewhat understandably, believe that with the player out of contract in the summer and due to the fact that they retain a 35% sell-on clause from Ince’s move between the two clubs 18 months ago, an offer of between £4-6m is about right, but Blackpool look to be holding out for £8m with their own 30% sell-on clause attached.
To be honest, given he can leave for nothing at the end of the season, the Championship club are really in no sort of position to be making demands like that and after they reportedly turned down a £7m offer from Reading, who then subsequently withdrew from the race for his signature, Liverpool look like the only interested party again and they need to weigh up whether forking out £8m for him now or waiting until the summer is the best approach; you suspect it’s the latter.
Scout about for a second-choice goalkeeper – The standard of reserve goalkeepers in the Premier League has dropped all across the board these past five years horrendously, with the systemic dearth of talent effecting the entire global game, Brad Jones’ performance during the FA Cup defeat away at Oldham just cast further doubt on whether he’s quite good enough for the club. With Pepe Reina’s future somewhat up in the air amid likely interest from Barcelona, in search of a shot-stopper of their own after Victor Valdes’ decision to move to a new club at the end of the season when his contract expires, the 30-year-old Australian has already featured 12 times this season in the league and in Europe to due the Spaniard’s patchy injury record this term.
To say he’s failed to impress would be an understatement and the search for someone actually capable of stepping in to Reina’s shoes needs to become a priority. This also means addressing the future of Brazilian goalkeeper Doni, who appears to be at the club in spirit but increasingly homesick for a return home.
Click here to see the final three things that Liverpool need to do before transfer deadline day
Utilise the loan market – Manchester United have proven in recent times that the rewards for sending out promising players on loan are huge if the right playing environment conducive to their talent is found, with both Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley prime examples and Liverpool need to do more in this area. With West Ham so short at the back, particularly at left-back, would it have been the worst idea in the world to offer them Jack Robinson for the rest of the campaign and allow the raw 19-year-old some top flight experience? With Michael Ngoo and Danny Wilson already being packed off to Hearts in Scotland, players like Connor Coady, Jon Flanagan and Samed Yesil would seriously benefit from a short-term loan spell in the Championship or even lower.
What to do with Coates – Speaking of loan spells away, the club need to bring in a new centre-back to truly put pressure on the comfortable but ropey pairing of Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel, who have both been far from their best this season. The 22-year-old Uruguayan looks to be seriously struggling to adapt to English football and could do with a spell away from Anfield playing more regularly. This explains the club offering Vegard Forren a trial before he completed his move to Southampton and at the moment, Coates looks too slow to be trusted and rather worryingly for a 6ft 5′ centre-back, he looks vulnerable in the air with no great leap on him whatsoever. If Rodgers can secure the permanent signing of a new defender, as has been mooted, then a temporary home needs to be found for Coates.
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Move for another central midfielder – You may be forgiven for thinking that with Joe Allen, Lucas Leiva, Jonjo Shelvey, Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson that the club is already reasonably well stocked in the middle of the park, but the squad are still a body light than at the start of the transfer window, with Nuri Sahin having his loan spell cut short early, and with the Europa League still to contend with, they could perhaps do with another fresh face capable of playing through the middle. Philippe Coutinho could be that man, but he’s most likely to be tried out wide first as he accommodates to English football, so while it’s not a more pressing need than say a new centre-back, it should still feature on the agenda if the club have the resources available at their disposal.
Players who join clubs on free transfers and go on to be successful is something of a rare sight in the Premier League these days, as we now usually see the players signing for big fees being the ones who get all the limelight.
But Mohamed Diame’s outstanding game-changing substitute appearance in West Ham’s 3-1 win over Chelsea at the weekend got me thinking of the most successful free transfers we have seen in the Premier League.
The only player to feature twice is Brad Friedel, because it still amazes me how the consistent American stopper hasn’t been the subject of a huge transfer fee throughout his career.
Click on Jay-Jay ‘so good they named him twice’ Okocha to see the 15 most successful free transfers in Premier League history
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The Manchester United striking duo Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie combined to secure a 2-1 win against FC Cluj, despite a struggling defensive display by Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.
Van Persie bagged both goals to take his tally to 7 goals in 8 games for United. The Dutchman hailed his second finish and the delightful pass he received from Wayne Rooney to score it, admitting that “not many players can make pass like that” according to the Daily Mirror.
Having illustrated his goalscoring pedigree during his short stay, the new star striker was quick to say that he wanted to play provider too.
“I have seven goals now but I need more assists,” he added.
The win has made it 2 wins from 2 games for Manchester United in stark contrast to their last start to their Champions League campaign.
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Van Persie will be hoping to continue his good form in United’s next game against Newcastle this Sunday.
West Bromwich Albion midfielder James Morrison is delighted to have committed himself to the club.
The 26-year-old signed a new four-year contract last week that will see him remain at The Hawthorns until June 2016. Morrison, who joined the Baggies in August 2007, is now hopeful that his team-mates Jonas Olsson and Chris Brunt will sign new contracts as well. He told the Birmingham Mail:
“This is my sixth season here now. I’m committed to the club, I feel settled here. There was no reason for wanting to leave. I’m 26, the longest-serving player and I quite like that. Hopefully other players like Chris Brunt and Jonas will follow. It feels like home. That’s down to playing every week, the team playing well, being settled. The fans have been great with me, the new manager [Steve Clarke] coming in has been a big factor in me signing.”
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West Brom are currently sixth in the Premier League table with seven points from four matches, three points behind leaders Chelsea.
Liverpool FC are targeting Schalke’s Lewis Holtby who admits he has designs on a move to England’s top flight.
Arsenal and Everton have also shown an interest in the 22-year-old who put in another fine performance this week in the Champions League against the Gunners.
Holtby is son to an English father and happens to be an Everton fan. Despite his allegiances to the Toffees, Liverpool are believed to be in the driving seat for acquiring Holtby’s signature.
Liverpool are desperate to secure more attacking wingers to add depth to their squad to make the Rodgers style of quick attacking football work.
Speaking to the press before Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Arsenal, the German international said: “Of course a move interests me. But now I’m at Schalke – I love the colours here, I love the team, I love the club.
“My contract runs out next season but you never know. I always said that my dream is to play in England, and it’ll happen one day, I can tell you that, because my hunger is really big for the Premier League.
“But I love the Bundesliga so much and I’m happy to be here.”
When the January transfer window opens it will be no surprise if there’s a buzz generated around the exciting winger.
There are many teams who are in need of a quality wide man and Holtby certainly fits the bill.
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It is believed however, that Schalke do not want to sell and it will take a large sum to prize him away from the German club.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the idea, a ‘European Super-League’ is a proposed alternative to the current UEFA Champions League. Instead of grouping top European teams into an elimination tournament, Europe’s finest would instead form a “super league” where top teams from each league would compete against each other on a weekly basis throughout the course of the season.
Mirroring the standard domestic league format, the team with the most points at the end of the season would win the league. The bottom three or perhaps four teams would be relegated.
While several other managers and numerous sports journalists have discussed the idea for the past several years, I’ve not yet seen anyone develop the framework for such a league. With this thought in mind, here’s my idea for how the European Super League would work.
Entirely replacing the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super League would initially feature the top three clubs from the English Premier League (EPL), the Bundesliga and Serie A and the top two teams from La Liga and Ligue 1. One club from each of Portugal, Holland, Belgium, Ukraine and Russia would combine for five more members, and an additional two vacancies would be awarded to two clubs from smaller leagues which advanced through a qualification process.
Altogether, the league would feature 20 member teams which would play every opponent twice (home and away) for a total of 38 games. In order to avoid forcing players to the point of physical exhaustion or requiring clubs to build a full-strength second team, clubs would not compete in their domestic leagues while playing in the UEFA Super League. However, all member clubs would continue competing in their domestic cup competitions.
At the end of the season, the club with the most points would be crowned the UEFA Champion and the bottom four teams would be relegated to their domestic leagues.
At the domestic leagues level, since top clubs could no longer qualify for the Champions League, they would instead qualify for the Europa League where the four semi-finalists would replace the four relegated sides in the following season’s UEFA Super League.
In order to ensure sides relegated from the Super League would have the opportunity to earn immediate promotion the following season, they would be awarded automatic Europa League qualification.
While many of you probably consider this suggestion utterly preposterous, I encourage you to at least consider the idea.
Firstly, the plan would shrink the huge talent gap between top teams and their typical opponents. So, instead of Manchester United facing Newcastle, Stoke and Sunderland in a random three-week period of the season, they could instead face the likes of Porto, Juventus and Ajax.
Sure, we might miss out on some exciting two-leg series, but I would much rather watch the Red Devils play an entire season of meaningful contests than wait until the Champions League quarter-finals for them to feature against a world-class opponent.
Opponents argue that while strengthening the competition at the highest levels, such an exclusive league would destroy domestic competition. Conversely, I suspect the UEFA Super League would have the exact opposite effect on competition.
For example, with English Premier League sides Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal likely to spend most seasons in the Super League, teams such as Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle and Everton would have a legitimate chance of actually winning the league.
With a top-three finish promising a place in the Europa League and an eventual shot at cracking into the Super League, the fans of mid-table teams throughout Europe could actually get excited about their club’s future prospects.
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Furthermore, domestic cup competitions would become increasingly intense. With Super League teams not regularly facing domestic competition, they would be eager to prove their worth by winning a domestic championship.
Realising a unique opportunity to compete against the top clubs in the country, emergent league sides, perhaps vying to complete a domestic double, would be intensely motivated to shock their supposedly superior opponent.
Two games played and two games drawn is probably the best start for a new manager.
Nobody gets unreasonably high expectations and nobody gets on your back either. So after a last minute equaliser at Bristol City, Michael Appleton can get back on the training pitch again knowing that things are going just fine.
After a frantic start as Blackpool manager, coming in so soon after Holloway’s departure and just days before his first game, Appleton seems to have settled well and we saw his first tweaks to the side on Saturday.
Two changes were forced due to injuries to Taylor-Fletcher and Matty Phillips, but another change was not forced and was perhaps the most telling. Neal Eardley made way for Ian Evatt, with Baptiste moving to right back. For many, Eardley is a scapegoat at Blackpool so his absence wasn’t too surprising. But bringing Evatt back and moving Baptiste out wide was a shock. Baptiste has been considered Blackpool’s best centre half for the last few years, even picking up the North West Championship Player of The Year last week, but Appleton either likes what he has seen of Evatt, or has marked the right back slot as a problem area and trusts Baptiste to fill in there.
Either way, it seemed to work as Blackpool limited the home side’s chances to almost none and would have kept a clean sheet but for a much disputed penalty award. For what it’s worth, I thought that although it was a soft penalty to give, it is one you see given as the player goes down easily under an unneccesary challenge from the keeper.
Thankfully, things were evened up in the 90th minute as the referee then awarded Blackpool a soft penalty of their own as a Bristol City defender was adjudged to have handled a cross, and Tom Ince converted to bring a point back to the seaside.
With both penalties cancelling each other out, we could call this a 0-0 rather than a score draw. And I think that is exactly what Appleton was looking for. A clean sheet. A base to build on and give the defence some confidence. That was the first and most important thing that the new manager had to do.
In truth, although he has taken charge of a great bunch of talented players, aside from that Appleton has been left with a bit of a mess really. Ian Holloway obviously wasn’t committed to the job this year and has left behind a strange work ethic and a lot of players who are unhappy to be left in the shadows.
Ian Evatt has had a few things to say this week which shed some light on just what was going on at Blackpool recently. He has stated how the club had ‘become stale’ under Holloway and highlighted how little defensive work was done in training. In fact, how little actual training was done. He said “We hadn’t really done much training in the last couple of months. We had numerous days off, anything from two to five or six at a time. We are an honest bunch of lads who just want to work hard. At times we weren’t doing that. That’s probably why we had the bad spell.”
That’s a pretty revealing interview and goes some way to explaining why things went from fantastic to average so quickly under Holloway. As fans, we knew about the repeated days off, and during a bad spell it became a source of frustration, but nobody knew that the situation was as bad as it was. Six days off at a time is utterly ridiculous for a set of professional players. Initially, I thought Holloway was being a nice, understanding manager by allowing players to recharge, but as it went on and the holiday days multiplied, it became obvious that the manager was actually giving himself time off to visit his family or, as it appeared, other clubs.
But with a new manager comes a fresh start and the players seem to be enjoying having a new man around. A new training regime that consists of, well, training to start with, but also defending. This new way of work includes higher-intensity training to work on fitness and also keeping an eye on what the players eat afterwards. Although these things sound pretty standard, they were obviously lacking and hopefully the new manager can help bring a bit of discipline back to the camp and start an upturn in fortunes.
After just one full week in training his side managed to go a full game without conceding from open play, so it obviously had an effect. And he has a rare second full week in a row to work with the players some more and find the right balance between a solid defence and the attacking flair that this side is known for.
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It’s not yet known what Appleton’s remit is yet. Would we be happy with a steady top half finish, or does he pick up where we started the campaign harbouring dreams of automatic promotion?
We will find out soon enough but the first win or loss will be crucial as it will shape the views of the fans. For example, a win on Saturday will mean we are unbeaten under Appleton, yet a loss would mean we are without a win. Two very different sounding options resting on the first non-draw of Appleton’s reign.
But that is all for the future. For now, Michael Appleton has started to turn things around at Blackpool and has made a good start on his first objective of fixing a leaky defence and bringing back some hard work to the training pitch.
Yohan Cabaye is one of the Premier League’s most sought-after transfer properties this January, following an incredible first half of the season for Newcastle. It remains to be seen whether any of his many suitors, including Arsenal, Manchester United and PSG, will take the reported £22million bait before the end of the month. But either way, the 28 year-old has proved this term that he’s destined for a higher calling than the Magpies – no offence Toon fans.
To suggest the Frenchman wasn’t highly thought of before the current campaign would be untrue. Arsenal launched an ill-fated £12million bid for Cabaye back in the summer, suggesting they felt that after two years at Newcastle, he was ready to handle life at a major club.
But they resisted the Magpies’ valuation of £20million, which, at the time, would have broken the Gunners’ record transfer fee by a few million.
Bizarrely however, I’d suggest another playmaking midfielder is the last thing the Premier League table-toppers need right now, and although Arsenal are the calibre of club I believe Cabaye is more than capable of playing for, his contribution would go relatively unnoticed at the Emirates.
That being said, for £20million, or £22million to take the player on midseason according to the tabloids, the France international remains an absolute steal. A record of 17 goals and 15 assists in 79 Premier League appearances is an unbelievable return for a deep-lying midfielder, even if a significant proportion of his output is currently being sourced from dead-ball situations.
That’s only 15 goals and one assist less than Yaya Toure, who has made 30 more Premier League outings than the Magpies star in a far more accommodating Manchester City side. It’s also just two goals less than Steven Gerrard in the last three years, despite the England international’s willingness to shoot from any range and any angle.
Not that output is the only impressive part of Cabaye’s game. This season he’s averaged 2.4 tackles and 2.4 interceptions per match, showing that the 5 foot 9 midfielder is more than competent when it comes to defensive contribution and is by no means a ‘luxury’ player, whilst in possession, he’s made 33 key passes in 17 Premier League starts, illustrating his core ability to unlock opposition defences with telling balls.
But as previously stated, Cabaye’s ability has been known for some time. The difference this season however has been in the great versatility and flexibility he’s shown by changing and modifying his role into the Magpies’ No.10.
Traditionally considered a playmaker of the more Miralem Pjanic, Luka Modric or Paul Scholes variety, finding pockets of space from deep and producing a mix-ranged passing game, Alan Pardew has fielded Cabaye at the tip of midfield of six occasions this season and in return the Frenchman has provided four goals from his new role, including a stunning brace against West Ham at the weekend.
Some would argue it could be a case of a big fish asserting his dominance in a small pond, and transitioning to the ocean of a major club could see Cabaye eaten alive by a shark that won’t even notice the 28 year-old inadvertently swimming down his predatory gullet.
Rather, I’d argue the France international has been a whale the Newcastle puddle for some time.
There’s been an obvious correlation between Newcastle’s league standing and the midfielder’s fitness over the last three years; upon his first campaign in England, in which Cabaye made34 league appearances, the Magpies finished in fifth, and with their talisman operating at full throttle again this term, they possess an outside chance of another continental qualification, currently sitting in eighth place in the English table.
But last year, when Cabaye spent a significant chunk of the season sidelined through injury, missing from November to February due to groin surgery, Newcastle’s form decisively tanked, recording 19 league defeats and lucky to finish the campaign with their top flight status intact. In my opinion, that’s no coincidence and is a fantastic testament to Cabaye’s vitality on Tyneside. No wonder the Magpies few him as a player worth in excess of £20million, which will be their biggest sale since Andy Carroll in 2011.
Of course, the other factor for major clubs to consider before making an acquisition is personality. Back in the summer, Cabaye’s professionalism was tested, as Alan Pardew informed reporters his ‘head had been turned’ by the Gunners’ transfer interest. It seemed Cabaye was set for six months of sulking at the Magpies’ training ground, driving down his value until another club snapped him up in January for a fee that didn’t justify his abilities or facilitate for the rupture his departure could have at St. James’s Park.
But refraining from playing the transfer market to his advantage rather than the beautiful game itself, Cabaye has used his actions on the pitch to prove to his suitors that he’s worth the £20million Newcastle have been asking for, producing the most prominent form of his Premier League career to date. If there was ever any doubt over what quality bracket the Frenchman belongs to, and whether or not he has the temperament or drive to up his game to the next level, surely this season, following a disruptive end to the summer window, is all the evidence one needs.
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Producing free kicks that verge upon artistry, long-range goals that leave one foaming at the mouth, donning a mixed passing game so intelligently orchestrating in its destructive efficiency and a level of work-rate and anticipation out of possession we’d more frequently associate with a natural ball-winner, now demonstrating he’s capable of any role required of him in the middle of the park including at the attacking pivot of the midfield, and a player who has consistently proved himself over three years in the Premier League – what more could a major club want this January for a mere £20million?
David Moyes, Laurent Blanc, Tim Sherwood, Arsene Wenger, Brendan Rodgers – it’s time for Cabaye to answer his higher calling.
Click below to see Arsenal, Fulham and Everton in action this weekend!