Despite having signed two centre-backs over the summer, speculation persists that Arsene Wenger is looking to add another option to the heart of the Arsenal defence.
French pair Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci both arrived before the season began. The jury is still out on them, especially the signing of Koscielny, who at £8.45million did not come cheaply. Both players may yet come into their own and at first glance, they appear to be better than some of Wenger’s options in the centre of defence last season, although neither has made anything like the same instant impact as did Thomas Vermaelen last term.
In the meantime, Wenger remains linked to additional centre-backs. While the focus of the summer speculation centered on France, the latest rumours surround German centre-backs. In particular, Werder Bremen ‘s Per Mertesacker has cropped up again as a possible signing. In addition, Schalke’s Benedikt Howedes appears to be in the frame.
So, if Wenger is to bring either Mertesacker or Howedes to Arsenal, who would be the better option for the Gunners?
Click here to see IM Scoutings analysis of which centre half provides the better option for Arsene Wenger
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Wigan Athletic boss Roberto Martinez’s main concern following the 2-0 Carling Cup quarter-final defeat at Arsenal was a nasty shoulder injury sustained by Victor Moses.
Moses had to be replaced shortly before half-time at the Emirates Stadium, with Martinez concerned that the winger may be sidelined for around six weeks.
He told the club’s official website:“We worked really hard to restrict Arsenal but too many things affected us again.
“The injury to Victor Moses, the own goal, it was too much. Up until their first goal I thought we defended quite well.
“Our main concern now is Victor and Mauro Boselli also came out of the game with an injury – the squad is looking quite thin at the moment.
“Victor fell very awkwardly and straightaway you could see that he had dislocated his shoulder. We sent him straight to hospital and we’ll continue to assess him.
“Unfortunately we are looking at anything between four to six week, and that’s a shame because he looked very sharp.
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“He got into a few one-on-one situations and he looked a real threat. We know how much we’re going to miss Victor for the next few weeks.”
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It was announced yesterday that Liverpool had spent £9million in fees to agents over the last year, second only to Chelsea in the Premier League in the highest amount given to player’s representatives. At lot of this was down to the amount of dealings that Liverpool were involved with over the summer. The arrival of Roy Hodgson as manager led to a clear out of players, with agents being paid to find clubs for some of the Reds’ unwanted stars. Agent fees are involved in signing players, selling players, signing contracts and even when players are sent out on loan. Liverpool have certainly done a lot of all four over the last year.
IN: Maxi Rodriguez, Jonjo Shelvey, Milan Jovanovic, Joe Cole, Danny Wilson, Christian Poulsen, Brad Jones, Raul Meireles and Paul Konchesky.
OUT: Andrea Dossena, Andrei Voronin, Christopher Buchtmann, Yossi Benayoun, Alberto Riera, Krisztian Nemeth, Diego Cavalieri, Javier Mascherano, Alex Kacaniklic, Lauri Dalla Valle and Damien Plessis.
LOAN: Philipp Degen, Alberto Aquilani, Emiliano Insua and Nabil El-Zhar.
Each of these deals will have involved an agent down the line, but it is the scale of the use of agents that is worrying. While Manchester City slashed their agent fees by 54% down to £5.9milllion despite spending over £130million in the transfer market over the same period, Liverpool spent and sold dramatically less but spent £3.1million more. How is this possible? In Liverpool’s case, such a high amount can be put partly down to Joe Cole. It is rumoured that the England international was given £3m-5m signing on fee, with certainly a good portion of that going to his agent. There is certainly no real “free” transfers these days.
The amount could also be attributed, as I have mentioned, to the sheer volume of deals with Liverpool being involved in 20 permanent transfers over the past year. There is also the added complication of agents taken cuts when lucrative new contracts are signed such as in the case of Pepe Reina and Fernando Torres.
Nevertheless, it can be pretty certain that there has to be a conscious effort from any club’s board not to involve agents in transfers unless it is totally necessary. Tottenham spent nearly an identical amount on agents as Manchester City despite spending almost £110m less on players. Certainly John W Henry and the Fenway Sports Group will be focusing hard on reducing this number in the following months and years. To make a club profitable in the long term, £9m lost in in such a needless way will be unacceptable, and whoever is in charge in dealings with agents, whether it is Damien Comolli or the new Chief Executive, some business smarts will be needed to reduce this number.
In total, the Premier League lost £67million to agents in the last year. Many see it as money that will never be seen in the game again and for football club’s to run on a “rational commercial approach,” it is a number that should dramatically fall as some of England’s biggest clubs try to get in line with UEFA’s new Financial Fair Play rules.
Read more Liverpool blogs at the excellent Live4Liverpool website
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Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has hinted that Joe Cole is struggling with his confidence levels.
The former Chelsea star has endured a difficult time at Anfield since moving to the Reds in the summer, being sent off on his debut and now struggling to recover from injury.
Hodgson said:"He isn't a naturally confident character. He suffers when things aren't going his way. Everyone at the club has worked hard to make sure he doesn't take it too hard and take too much on himself, because he's quite happy to take responsibility.
"I'm always wary of answering about people's mental state. It's difficult enough to judge them physically. But one thing is certain is that Joe's desperate to show what he can do.
"Because of where he plays, he is one who plays with small margin and then of course the risk of failure is even greater. For some they can get success just by booting the ball away, but Joe can't do it in the position he plays in.
"I don't know how frustrated he's been. He'd obviously have liked to hit the ground running but it's not been possible, largely because of injuries.
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"But he's a long time with us, a long contract and we know what he's capable of doing. The sooner he produces it of course the better for me, but there is no pressure on him in that respect. He is a quality player who will come good."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
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Since Alan Pardew replaced Chris Hughton as Newcastle manager, he has put one task at the top of his list: to sign players to long-term contracts. In recent weeks Steven Taylor, Mike Williamson and Nile Ranger have all signed new contracts, and at the weekend they were joined by starlet Haris Vuckic who signed a new five-and-a-half year deal to keep him at St James’ Park until 2016. This is an admirable move by Pardew as now these players won’t be lost on the cheap, but will any of these starlets make their mark at Newcastle United?
Let’s start with Steven Taylor. Taylor has been around for quite a while, but he’s still only 24 and should have a long future in football at the top level ahead of him. Those inspiring performances for the England U21s can still be repeated, and don’t forget he played an important part in Newcastle’s promotion winning season before he got injured. This could be the one thing that holds Taylor back: injuries. They seem to have blighted his career, but now he’s fit and raring to go (as long as the injury he suffered against West Ham isn’t serious) and has been given a starting berth by Pardew. A fit and firing Taylor should really be on the fringes of the England squad, so can he become a rock in the Newcastle defence and even long term captain? Absolutely.
With Alan Pardew selecting Steven Taylor as Fabricio Coloccini’s central defensive partner for the meantime, it has meant that Mike Williamson has had to make way. Williamson has been immense since he joined around one year ago, and looked pretty solid alongside Colo at the heart of the Newcastle defence. Aged 27, Williamson should be coming into his peak and his towering presence at the back could be invaluable for Newcastle. However, if Pardew doesn’t really like the look of him, which is what it seems from the outside, then maybe he’ll have to rely on another Taylor injury to get his place back. If he has the bad luck that saw Stevenage’s opener deflect in off him on Saturday for the rest of his Newcastle career, then maybe it won’t be such a fruitful one despite early promise.
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Another player that seems to be getting on the wrong side of Pardew is Nile Ranger. Ranger is one of the most exciting prospects at Newcastle right now. He has most of the attributes to be a top striker: pace and power especially, but maybe he’s lacking a couple of the most important facets needed to be a Premier League hotshot. His finishing still leaves much to be desired, something demonstrated against West Ham, but maybe more worrying is his attitude off the pitch. He infamously had personal problems at Southampton, but it was thought he’d left them behind at St James’. However, Pardew has already commented about a lack of professionalism, something he can still rectify at the age of 19. Ranger can be as good as he wants to be, it really is up to him…
Finally we have Haris Vuckic. Every Newcastle fan will know just how much hype there is surrounding the 18 year old Slovenian international. Let’s face it; hype is all it is at the moment. Unless you’re a regular watcher of the Newcastle reserves all you will have seen of Vuckic is a few senior appearances in which he’s played well, but hasn’t really made you stand up and take notice. The talk surrounding Vuckic is all promising, with Pardew saying that “Haris is a player with real potential who we believe could have an exciting future here at Newcastle.” As long as Newcastle can fight off any potential interest and give him the game time he needs to develop, Vuckic’s contract could be the most important deal of the four.
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Steven Taylor, Mike Williamson, Nile Ranger and Haris Vuckic. Four players who have all signed new long-term deals at Newcastle. In my eyes Taylor is a potential captain and Vuckic could be the spark they need in years to come, whereas Williamson will only ever be a squad player and Ranger will flatter to deceive. But what do you think? How will these four fare in years to come in a black and white shirt?
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Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier expects his new signings to have a continued impact at the club.
Record signing Darren Bent scored on debut against Manchester City on Saturday, while Tottenham loan signing Kyle Walker also scored on his first Villa appearance against Sheffield United in the FA Cup win two weeks ago.
“The signings gave us a bit of a buzz about the place,” Houllier said.
“The first signing was Kyle Walker who couldn’t play against Man City because he had a back problem. It happened on Friday in training.”
“We thought he would be OK but he couldn’t make it. Kyle started with us at Sheffield and practically with the first movement he had he scored a goal.”
“It was Darren’s first game for us and he scored. The luck went right to the end. The spirit and heart is very important.”
Walker is available again after his back problem and striker Emile Heskey returns after completing a three-game suspension.
Houllier could introduce another new face to his squad on Tuesday, if six-million-pound Lyon signing Jean Makoun features, but with the team’s form on the rise he will have to be at the top of his game to force his way into the side.
“I said if we can stick together things can happen. If Jean Makoun plays against Wigan, he’s got pressure on his shoulders.”
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One man who has not been involved in recent weeks is full-back Stephen Warnock, the 29-year-old’s former club, Liverpool, is believed to be interested in re-signing the left-back but Houllier insists that he has not received any bids for the player.
“He trained on Saturday,” said Houllier. “I’m not his agent, he’s an Aston Villa player at the moment. He’s not involved, but who knows what can happen tomorrow?”
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has taken plenty of firepower to Greece for his side’s Europa League clash against Aris Salonika.
Strikers Mario Balotelli, Carlos Tevez and Edin Dzeko have all travelled to Greece for the round of 32 first leg, while there could be a return for midfielder Michael Johnson after 15 months out through injury.
Balotelli has been out since December 28 with a knee injury. He has scored three goals in just two Europa League games this season.
Dzeko has only one goal since his 27-million-pound move from Wolfsburg last month, although he did set up City’s goal against Manchester United on Saturday after his shot was deflected in by team-mate David Sliva.
Tevez’s inclusion is a sign of the seriousness with which Roberto Mancini is taking the competition.
Mancini has problems in midfield for the clash with James Milner and Nigel de Jong both sidelined.
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Milner picked up an injury in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at United while De Jong will miss out because of an ankle problem.
I recently wrote an article on this very site, asking for some sober reflection following the Crawley Town game, and suggesting a trio of United ‘flops’ I felt should be given another chance.
While my suggestions of at least one more season for Darron Gibson, Jonny Evans- I realise he didn’t play against Crawley but you know where I’m coming from- and Bebe were met with a mixture of incredulity and contempt, I promised to suggest the players I felt should be given the old Spanish archer by Sir Alex -El bow, in case you don’t know what on earth I’m on about.
True to my word here’s the players I believe should be sold in the summer and the reasons I feel their departure from Old Trafford would be beneficial.
Mame Diouf- Do we really need to recall the Senegalese striker from Blackburn? Yes he’s done well there, but let’s be totally realistic Diouf is a long way from the United first team and even if his record of three goals in 21 games for the Ewood Park outfit was far greater, it’s doubtful he’d get a game next season.
At 23 years-old he’s still young, although he’s not quite at the age where you feel another loan spell may be beneficial. With Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Chicharito and probably the returning Danny Welbeck- and let’s not forget Macheda- in front of him in the pecking order it’s arguably best for both Diouf and United if he moves away from Old Trafford permanently in the Summer.
Michael Owen- While we’re on the subject of surplus strikers, the name that invariably springs to mind is that of Michael James Owen. I feel for Owen I really do, it’s not his fault that he’s had injury problems which have blighted his Old Trafford career. Were it not for the hamstring knock he picked up in the Carling Cup final then he may well have helped United win that coveted 19th title last year.
Owen’s 31 years-old now and it’s doubtful that he’d really be needed next season with all the aforementioned strikers at Sir Alex’s disposal. I think it may be time for him to move on and spend what could be the final year of his playing career enjoying first team football somewhere rather than warming the bench- if he’s lucky, at Old Trafford.
Tomasz Kuszczak – The Polish ‘keeper’s been at Old Trafford for over four years now and although for most of that time he’s been in the shadow of Van Der Sar, he has had enough opportunities to stake a claim as the Dutchman’s successor. The problem is, Kuszczak’s no nearer to being United’s first choice than he was when he arrived, even with VDS’s retirement, it’s likely he still won’t be Sir Alex’s preferred stopper.
The arrival of Anders Lindegaard shouldn’t necessarily mean the end of Kuszczak’s United career, but there’s always been doubts as to whether he truly is good enough, least of all by Fergie himself. After all the fact that Ben Foster leapfrogged him in the number one stakes at the beginning of last season is hardly a sterling endorsement.
There’s been the suggestion that United will bring in another ‘big name’ ‘keeper in the summer and you’d certainly be surprised if we didn’t. I expect we will and I think with one year left on his contract, now’s the time to sell Kuszczak on.
Continued on Page TWO
Owen Hargreaves- It pains me to say it as I’m a massive fan of the curly haired one, but how much longer can we wait for his comeback? The six minutes at Old Trafford against Wolves may well have been his last appearance for United, which is a crying shame as when he’s fit- or when he was fit- Hargreaves was truly one of the best midfielders I’ve ever seen. I’m not letting sentimental nostalgia cloud my memory but looking back on the 2007/08 season, there were times when Hargreaves was simply awesome. Who can forget the free kicks against Fulham and Arsenal, the stint at right back against Barcelona? The driving performances from the middle of the park? The ability to get down either wing when needed? The seemingly limitless energy?
Hargreaves was as close as I’ve seen to a perfect all round player since the days of Roy Keane, it seemed that whether defending or attacking he was almost unstoppable.
That was almost three years ago though and since then we’ve seen practically nothing from Hargreaves due to the tendonitis in his knees which has been described by Doctor Richard Steadman, who treated the midfielder- as the worst of any professional sportsman he’d ever seen.
It’s time to face hard facts with Hargreaves, although his last injury was his hamstring rather than his knees, the likelihood of him ever playing at the very top level again, is doubtful to say the least. I feel it’s now time for Hargreaves to either move on or retire, as the never ending saga of whether he’ll play again just doesn’t seem to be reaching a conclusion.
In the past Sir Alex has even alluded to the idea that Hargreaves has even suffered from a lack of confidence when attempting to come back- not that anyone could actually blame him. Nothing would make me happier than seeing Hargreaves battling all over the pitch again, but it’s time to face hard facts and accept it may be the end of his United career.
Michael Carrick- Selling a player who’s been one of United’s most important these past few months may seem like an idea straight out of the Howard Wilkinson school of transfer policies. However allow me to explain. Carrick will have been at United for five years, come the Summer and regardless of what United win this season, he’ll have won an impressive array of silverware during his time at the club. The reason I feel Carrick should be moved on in the Summer has a lot to do with the other players who could potentially be filling the midfield places.
At the moment, there’s Anderson, Scholes. Fletcher, Gibson and occasionally the likes of Park, Giggs and O’Shea who can also play in the middle. Most people would like to see Gibson moved on but as I stated in my last article, I believe he should be given on more year. Scholes may or may not retire but even if he does it’s almost a certainty that United will bring in one more midfielder if not two.
I think Anderson could be a truly great midfielder for United if he’s given a long run in the side and manages to stay fairly injury free and keeps himself in shape. Although Fletcher’s not had the best few months of his career- in fact at times he’s looked quite frankly abysmal, I still feel he can raise his game when he needs to. You could argue that there would still be room for Carrick, alongside those two if Scholes did or didn’t retire, yet I’m not so sure.
I think Carrick can do an excellent job with neat passes from deep in midfield and mopping up loose balls, but I’m not convinced he’s as indispensable as some may feel.
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If Carrick were to have a great run of form for the remainder of the season, even then I could still see the logic in moving him on at the end of the season. He’s 30 in a few months and his contract runs out in 2012 and I for one think it would be a good time to either sell him on part of a player exchange or simply recoup a small fee for him and bid him farewell. Five trophy laden years at Old Trafford is hardly unsuccessful, yet there will no doubt still be those United fans who look back at Carrick’s time in a red shirt with less than fondness.
The Geordie has always struggled to win over all the fans at Old Trafford and something tells me he always will, but regardless of that, I think United’s midfield could benefit with someone else sitting in front of the back four next season and the time would be right for Carrick to move on.
Gabriel Obertan- Obertan may have looked impressive for the reserves and he may have shown glimpses of real ability for the first team but now’s the time to admit that on the whole he’s looked far from United class since he arrived at Old Trafford. Obertan’s time at Old Trafford has ranged from promising to embarrassing, but barring a great run from now until the end of the season, it may be time to move the former Bordeaux man on.
With Antonio Valencia due to return to the first team soon, then Ji-Sung Park hopefully back in a few weeks, Obertan’s United career may rest on the next few weeks, the question is will he even get the chance to show the reason Sir Alex bought him the first place? I seriously doubt it.
Read more excellent United blogs at Red Flag Flying High
Olympique Lyon crushed Nancy 4-0 in an action-filled encounter on Friday to move into second place on the Ligue 1 table.Lyon took the lead in the 37th minute when France attacker Yoann Gourcuff volleyed home Jeremy Toulalan’s chipped through ball.Nancy captain Youssouf Hadji had the ideal chance to equalise in first-half injury time but his paltry attempted chip from the penalty spot was safely caught by Lyon goalkeeper Remy Vercoutre, who had enough time to sit up and gather his thoughts after diving to his right before claiming the ball. Substitute Jeremy Pied – just seven minutes after coming on – doubled Lyon’s advantage in the 76th minute, getting on the end of a pass from fellow substitute Michel Bastos to double his side’s advantage.Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic became Lyon’s second substitute to score, netting four minutes after his 81st-minute injection for his side’s third goal.Jimmy Briand’s late strike will steal the headlines, however, as the France international’s overhead scissor kick – reminiscent of Wayne Rooney’s wonder goal for Manchester United just six days ago – cannoned into the roof of the net to make it 4-0.The win moved Lyon within four points of league leaders Lille, but the top side have a game in hand on Claude Puel’s men.
In 1789 Benjamin Franklin famously said that “nothing is certain but death and taxes.” When applying this sentiment to Premier League football, many would describe Sir Alex Ferguson’s unerring ability to discover a raw diamond as equally inevitable. The Manchester United manager, incredibly in his 25th year at the club, is on course to achieve the second ‘treble’ of his Old Trafford career. Although his side have been accused of lacking the ‘fantasy’ of previous Manchester United teams, Ferguson’s pragmatic approach to player acquisition during the last few transfer windows appears to be paying dividends this season.
Whilst rivals Manchester City and Chelsea have spent big on the likes of Joleon Lescott, Edin Dzeko and Fernando Torres over the course of the last two seasons, Ferguson has instead invested in relatively unproven youth. However, some of these acquisitions, most notably Javier Hernandez and Chris Smalling, are justifying the Scotsman’s frugal approach to squad-reinforcement.
Twenty-two-year-old Hernandez, a £6m signing from Mexican club Chivas, has seamlessly adapted to English football. The forward is statistically the Premier League’s most clinical player, having bagged nine league goals from just 13 shots on target. He has unsurprisingly drawn comparisons with Old Trafford legend and infamous ‘supersub’ Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, having scored on six occasions after coming on as a substitute.
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Smalling, a man who was playing non-league football less than three years ago, has admirably deputised for the side in the absence of England captain Rio Ferdinand. The former Fulham man was signed from the Craven Cottage club for £7m in January 2010 (before completing his move to Old Trafford six months later) and has shown himself to be a cool and composed defender. Prior to Manchester United’s recent 2-1 reverse at Stamford Bridge, Smalling’s five Premier League starts had seen the side concede just four goals.
On the other hand, some critics have pointed to the signings of Bebe and Gabriel Obertan as proof that Ferguson is losing his eye for talent. Then Bordeaux manager Laurent Blanc initially expressed surprise at his former manager’s move for Obertan, and the winger’s displays since arriving at Old Trafford in the summer of 2009 appear to vindicate Blanc’s reservations. Obertan has made a meagre 14 league appearances over the course of the last two seasons, and has failed to show any of the form which saw him awarded Man of the Match in the final of the 2009 Toulon Tournament. His failure to establish himself as a first-team player in the absence of Antonio Valencia is a damning indictment on the Frenchman, with Ferguson instead preferring to re-position central midfielders such as Darren Fletcher and Darron Gibson.
The decision to sign Bebe looks even more baffling. The 20-year-old was signed for £7.4m last summer, an astoundingly high fee when taking into account the fact he was available for free just five weeks before moving from Vitoria Guimaraes to Manchester United. Despite scoring in a Carling Cup win over Wolverhampton Wanderers and in a Champions League victory against Turkish side Bursaspor, Bebe has looked woefully out of depth in a red shirt.
Notwithstanding inauspicious starts to their Manchester United careers, Bebe and Obertan may point to the current first-team regulars that benefitted under the tutelage and guidance of Ferguson. Patrice Evra, Nemanja Vidic and Nani all arrived at Old Trafford as relative unknowns, and each one endured a tough start to life in English football. However, Evra, Vidic and Nani have all flourished in the Premier League; indeed each member of the trio is widely considered to be the best in the league in their respective position.
If Ferguson’s most recent recruits can follow the examples of the three mentioned above, his deserved reputation as one of European football’s most prolific talent-spotters will surely continue.
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