Brendan Rodgers looks set to carry on the spending at Anfield, and is planning a double swoop for Nuri Sahin of Real Madrid and Cristian Tello of Barcelona, according to The Metro.
Rodgers took his spending up to £26 million last week, as he finally landed Joe Allen for £15 million from former club Swansea, having splashed £9 million on striker Fabio Borini earlier in the transfer window.
It now seems Rodgers is looking to La Liga for his latest recruits, having seemingly been priced out of moves for Fulham’s Clint Dempsey and Bologna’s Gaston Ramirez.
Rodgers hopes to tie up the deals this week, and has sent managing director Ian Ayre out to Spain in an attempt to complete the negotiations.
The pair are seen as cheaper alternatives for Rodgers, who admitted earlier in the week that the lack of Champions league football at Anfield is having an effect on his transfer budget.
He explained: “When you’re not in the Champions League there is a restriction in terms of what you can spend, and I know that. I was fully understanding of that before I came in.
“There’s no doubt I want to get the best players I possibly can and that costs money. I am very much conscious of the value and worth of players.”
Rodgers is hoping to sign Tello for around £5 million, and is confident the 21-year-old will fit well into his new look 4-3-3 formation, able to operate on either flank.
Tello is also seen as a far cheaper alternative to Gaston Ramirez who has a £20 million price tag. As his bid to cut costs continues, Rodgers will look to snap up Sahin on a season long loan.
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That deal may prove harder to conclude however, with Sahin desperate to join a club offering Champions League football, with Arsenal reportedly interested.
Rodgers is hopeful his close relationship with Jose Mourinho could prove a decisive factor in securing the deal.
Yet again this weekend the spotlight fell on the officials because of the decisions they made, especially involving red cards. It speaks volumes that in the modern game we are not surprised to be debating each weekend more than one contentious decision by a referee, usually in multiple games.
The number of red cards has dramatically risen in the last couple of years, going from an average of 45 per season since the Premier League began to in the last 5 years roughly 62 per season. The question of why this has happened must be considered – is it that players are now more reckless or indeed better at simulation to con the referee into handing out red cards like they are sweets, or is it that the officials have become increasingly happy in the last few seasons?
It seems to be a combination of both, with the influx of foreign players into the Premier League having a massive effect on the amount of simulation we see – it is now not a surprise to see players waving an imaginary card at the referee during the course of a game – and players will actively attempt to gain an advantage by getting opposition players sent off.
It is not just the Premier League in which this happens – European Champions Barcelona can certainly be accused of simulation, play acting and ‘persuading’ the referee to send players off – all Arsenal fans will remember the sending off of Van Persie which cost them the tie, and Real fans can offer a list as explosive as Balotelli let loose in a bathroom of players who received contentious red cards in Classicos.
This season in the Premier League however, has been unprecedented, with certainly more than a couple of dubious decisions made by referees. The sad fact is that during a big game where sides are closely matched, a sending off can ruin the game and heavily influence the outcome of the match – think back to Jack Rodwell’s red card in the Merseyside derby – clearly not a sending off, and despite being overturned on appeal, the damage was already done and arguably cost Everton at least a point out of the game.
Sunday alone saw the dismissal of Jonny Evans, Boswinga and Didier Drogba, and although Evans and Drogba can have little to complain about, Boswinga certainly has a case for unfair dismissal with Chelsea arguing that JT was in fact the last man, not Boswinga and it was not even a goal scoring opportunity but as Ray Wilkins put it ‘a race that was evenly matched’. Chelsea fans could certainly be forgiven for thinking that Chris Foy has a personal vendetta against them, with only Cech and Juan Mata spared from a booking during the game, and having once sent Robben off for celebrating a goal and now sending off four Chelsea players so far this season – Alex, Torres, Drogba and Boswinga.
Dubious decisions by officials is not a new phenomenon, we can all recall Roy Carroll scooping the ball out the back of the net when Spurs had clearly scored, yet no goal was given, or Garcia’s ‘ghost goal’ denying Chelsea a place in the Champions League final. Likewise red cards that should never have been – Rodwell springs to mind here, not to mention Villa’s Chris Herd, sent off this weekend in the midlands derby with Villa set to appeal, saying ‘it was clear he did nothing wrong.’ There have also been penalty decisions that were just downright wrong – all of which can heavily affect the outcome of matches, and cost teams places in finals and trophies they otherwise may have been able to win.
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The question over if it is time to introduce some sort of video technology will remain, and it seems that goal line technology is a must, yet video replays are more of a controversial suggestion. It is natural for human error to occur, and therefore surely technology may be able to help? Whilst fans and players can eventually accept a genuine mistake, they are less willing to accept referees who make mistakes time after time and border on incompetence – the issue of a declining standard of officiating is one that must be addressed, not just in England but throughout the game, and it does beg the question of if we should introduce technology into the game in some capacity to help officials in what is an increasingly hard game to referee.
Bolton Wanderers will be without Sam Ricketts for the rest of the season after he ruptured his Achilles.The injury happened as Bolton beat Wigan in an FA Cup fourth round replay on Wednesday.Full back Ricketts, who will also miss Wales’ European Championship qualifier against England in March, had surgery on Friday and faces up to six months on the sidelines.”He has been outstanding for us and our immediate thoughts go to him as we wish for a speedy recovery,” said Bolton manager Owen Coyle.”It was very innocuous as he sustained the injury by tracking their winger Victor Moses. He has put his foot down and stumbled, so it is very unfortunate.””Sam will get all the help from the club that he requires, but we will now have to get on with everything.”Coyle faces something of an injury crisis at the back, with Zat Night out for six weeks with a knee injury.Bolton take on Fulham in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday.
New Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is set to bring Wolves ‘keeper Dorus De Vries to Anfield before swooping for Swansea midfielder Joe Allen, announced The Daily Mail today.
De Vries worked under Rodgers at Swansea before being sold to Wolves on a free transfer last summer, and his move as well as the proposed signing of Joe Allen would see Rodger’s becoming reunited with two former players.
Having already signed Roma forward Fabio Borini, the new Anfield manger will be eager to see his side break into the top four once again, and having a back up goalkeeper of De Vries’ standard will not only provide such stability, but will be a bargain.
It is believed the arrival of De Vries will see stand by ‘keepers Alexander Doni and Brad Jones shown the door at Anfield, as the Reds also look to reduce their wage bill.
Swansea City however, remain unimpressed with speculation linking Joe Allen with a move to Merseyside, and a statement from the Welsh side read: ‘the club are extremely disappointed that speculation regarding aspects of his contract have been released by parties outside the club’
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Allen is believed to cost around £15 million, with the deal to be carried out after the Olympics, whilst De Vries would cost the Reds £750,000.
Tottenham’s efforts to sign Brazilian Striker Leandro Damiao could be foiled by Serie A giants Inter Milan according to talkSPORT.
Spurs were in talks with the player’s club Internacional during the summer but they failed to agree the reported £15m fee with officials. Damiao subsequently signed a new five year deal with the Brazilian club.
However, Spurs believe this was merely a ploy to drive up the price of any eventual deal for the player. Leandro Damiao was in London earlier this month as he bagged his first international goal for Brazil against Ghana in a friendly at Craven Cottage.
Now Inter have sounded out their interest in the Brazilian as they prepare to back new manager Claudio Ranieri in the January Transfer Window. Directors are thought to be very keen in bringing the 22-year-old to the San Siro.
In order to bring the forward to White Hart Lane, Harry Redknapp could be forced to sell Russian striker Roman Pavlyuchenko. Moscow rivals Lokomotiv and Spartak are said to be interested.
Redknapp is a long term admirer of Damiao. He’ll be hoping the club’s good relationship with Internacional following the transfer of Sandro last year will stand them in good stead.
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Still the lure of Inter Milan might prove too much for the Brazilian in the end.
There has been a lot of talk about loyalty in the modern game over the past week or so since the goings on in the January transfer window. Whether it was Fernando Torres’ departure to Chelsea or Andy Carroll’s arrival from Newcastle, the question of whether there will be anymore “one club” players has been raised this week. On his move to Chelsea, Torres remarked that romance in football was dead and that it has been replaced by the obsession of winning trophies. Loyalty has been effectively replaced by “Glory-hunters” in the modern game.
Of course, this is not necessarily a new phenomenon. For decades players have moved clubs to teams they feel they can have more success with. In recent years at Liverpool, players such as Pepe Reina, Fernando Torres and others arrived at the club in the hope they would replicate the great Liverpool teams of the past by winning Premier League titles and Champions League trophies. While Torres has moved to pastures new to find trophies sharpish, Pepe Reina has apparently stated today that he is impatient for success at the Reds.
Players moving clubs in search of trophies is pretty much part and parcel of the modern game in most player’s eyes. However, what Torres and others, do not take into consideration when they move clubs in search of glory, are the fans. Like many before him, on his arrival and during his stay on Merseyside, Torres preached loyalty to the club and stated that he would never play for another English club. He was stating what he believed at the time but when asked about this statement after his move to Chelsea he said:
“I said that at that moment, I didn’t think I would play for another club – because at that moment Liverpool were giving me what they promised … but not now.”
For him, circumstances had changed and therefore his future at Liverpool was also in question. From his point of view, it was a purely selfish calculation in which his own career objectives took priority over the feelings of the fans who had grown to love him as an idol. If he had stated on his arrival at Anfield that he had come to Liverpool to “win trophies or he would look to move on in search for winners medals,” then fans would not have grown so attached to him, and become so angry at his departure.
A player such as Torres would never have said such a thing though as it comes across as purely selfish. He would be perceived as player, playing for himself, rather than working and fighting for the team. How would that go down with his new team-mates and the fans? To ingratiate yourself to the club it is best to speak in the most reverential terms about both the club and the supporters. He may even mean many of the sentiments but at the end of the day, his priority is to be in a successful team. Personal glory looks to have sway in his mind above all else.
The same may go for Pepe Reina. People believe him to be an honorary Scouser as John Aldridge said in his column for the Liverpool Echo this week, but it’s again apparent that the desire for trophies and success are first and foremost in his mind. Hopefullly with Kenny Dalglish turning the club’s fortunes around, it will persuade the Spanish goalkeeper to stay, but what maybe now in question is whether he is staying purely for his love of the club or because there is a greater chance of winning medals. Certainly a player should not be criticised for wanting to win things. After all, players have short careers and they want to make the best out of them, but it is a shame that loyalty to clubs doesn’t stretch far these days.
Read more of David’s articles at the excellent Live4Liverpool
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Football, and in particularly the Premier League, often suffer from more than a touch of amnesia from time to time. When a striker such as Robin van Persie notches up 30 league goals in a season, the legacy of such a feat will remain for quite some time. But as Arsenal are rumored to be seeking anything from £20-£30million for a player in the last year of his contract, it would appear his recent achievements have erased elements of his past from the memories of his suitors.
The term watershed season probably doesn’t do Robin van Persie’s 2011-12 effort enough justice. His 30 league goals in 38 league games saw him emerge as one of Europe’s best strikers, if not the best out-and-out marksman. Arsenal fans may well be wryly smiling at those who have been saddled with surprise at the Dutchman’s efforts last season.
But even after Van Persie hit an incredible run of form on the back end of the 2010-11 season, surely even they didn’t expect the season that came.
Robin van Persie has always been an outrageously gifted technical footballer and his ability was never in any doubt during his career. Although the holy grail of the striking classes, and indeed the trait that has always evaded Van Persie, is that of consistency. Last season saw the final piece of puzzle put into place; the effect was nothing short of spectacular.
And it isn’t any surprise why he is craved by just about every top club on the continent. It’s hard to pick out any genuine flaws in his striking game- his movement’s truly world class; he can score headers as aptly as he can bury scorching volleys and his finishing is as good as any in the game. He bestows a superb and consistent set-piece delivery and Arsenal have benefitted as much from his link up play as they have from his goal scoring exploits; he bagged 13 assists in the Barclays Premier League last season.
Although after reading a passage like that, there feels as if there are some uneasy blanks to fill in. If Robin van Persie beholds a level of talent as exquisite as what’s just been described, then how come he is rapidly approaching his 29th birthday with only an FA Cup winner’s medal to show for it? One can ridicule the fortunes of Arsenal as much as they want in recent years, although the answer owes as much to Van Persie himself as it does to the underachievement of the club he plays for.
There was one statistic that seemed to stand out more prominently than anything else on the Van Persie résumé from last season- and it wasn’t his goal tally, either. The Dutchman featured in all 38 of Arsenal’s Premier League games last season. It was the first term that he’d ever broken the 30 game barrier in terms of appearances. Before last season, Van Persie averaged about 22 league appearances a season for the Gunners during seven years in England. That is a statistic that simply isn’t good enough.
And this is where it feels like you reach something of a crossroads in the evaluation of Robin van Persie. No one is claiming he has some intrinsic desire to spend time on the treatment table. But the facts are as clear to see as his superb goal scoring exploits of the last 18 months. Perhaps it is unwise and also a little macabre to take a punt on injury misfortune hitting any footballer. But if last season was the first he has completed over 30 games, what is more likely to be the one off- his 100% record last season or the previous seven in which he failed to appear more than 28 times in the red of Arsenal?
It’s this point that seems to have more than a bit of the sticking factor about it. Arsenal have stuck by Van Persie through thick and thin- some may argue that he more than paid his club back by carrying them on his back for large portions of last season. But last season has been a long time coming for Van Persie and it feels as though the weight of Arsenal’s commitment still weighs heavier on the scales than one blockbuster RVP season last term.
Yet it is within a protracted transfer that the real truth may hit home- for all parties involved. The contractual situation of Robin van Persie seems to be echoing an uncomfortable pattern for Arsenal and the club cannot allow it to go on any longer at the Emirates. But as the near on £24million that the club gained for Samir Nasri shows, the stigma of players entering the final year of their contract doesn’t necessarily denote the sort of apocalyptic slash in transfer fee that many predict.
But Nasri was 24 when he moved away from the Emirates last summer. There were no lingering concerns over the Frenchman’s ability to go the distance in the season and even if there was, he is of an adequate age in which such a reputation can be consigned to history. Robin van Persie has only played more than 28 league games once in his entire professional career- that was last season. He is turning 29 in a fortnight’s time and will have little to no resale value. This will be his last major contract.
Such a question may well be rendered academic if the petromillions of Manchester City come calling. But even if such a fee has been grossly exaggerated, can you justify spending near on £30million on Robin van Persie? As football enters an era of Financial Fair Play, splashing out a massive transfer fee and gargantuan wages on Robin van Persie offers a substantial risk. The efforts of last season have somewhat masked what feels to be a legitimate question mark over the Dutchman.
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Scoring goals has never been the problem. The problem is you can’t score goals if you don’t’ regularly play, as blindingly obvious as that may sound. But it’s not the long-term injury that has been Van Persie’s problem. It is the six-week or the eight-week stints out with persistent ankle or knee knocks. The subsequent time taken to regain form and fitness can be painstaking. It seems absurd to critique a man who has scored 132 in all competitions for Arsenal. But such is the talent of the man, it should be (or should have been) so much more.
Some very difficult answers are set to be answered very soon indeed for Arsenal, Van Persie and his potential suitors. But the brutal reality must be that however much Wenger craves for his star striker, the chances are he may go for far less- however right or wrong that may seem.
Can Arsenal really command such a colossal transfer fee for Robin van Persie? Are his goals last season enough to make you forget about his previous fitness worries? Arsenal fan or City supporter, tell me how you view it- follow @samuel_antrobus on Twitter and bat us your views
Owen Hargreaves has revealed his happiness at signing for Manchester City, and is looking to reignite his career at Eastlands after a torrid time at rivals United.
Roberto Mancini’s outfit captured the former England international on a free transfer on deadline day, and he is looking forward rather than back at an injury plagued time at Old Trafford.
“It’s difficult for people from the outside looking in. You would think ‘ there’s something gone wrong there, the guy’s made out of glass’. But anybody who knows me and knows the way I play, I take it very seriously and very professional,” he told City TV.
“So obviously I don’t think everybody had all the facts and a lot of things (injuries) happened that basically I wish wouldn’t of and it’s just a huge learning curve for myself and I would have never have anticipated I would ever find myself in that position.
“So I’m just happy that that chapter is behind me and I’m looking forward to just playing football and having fun, having a good time, joining in with the lads and competing again,” he continued.
Hargreaves has spent a long summer training to show his fitness to potential suitors, and feels the hard work has paid off.
“I basically spent all summer just training, proving to myself that I can work hard, that I can train and sustain the load that is demanded of a professional football player. I hadn’t made my mind up this summer, I just wanted to train hard and then see how it felt and I didn’t use an agent.
“It just kind of happened – I think in life you can’t chase things, you’ve just got to let things happen and that’s what it was and, you know, I’m looking forward to the future,” he concluded.
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Despite the signing, The Daily Mail indicate that Hargreaves will not be included in City’s European squad of 25, which is set to be named on Friday.
Santos made it three wins from as many games in Brazil’s Campeonato Paulista with a 4-2 away victory at Gremio Prudente on Sunday.
Former Manchester City and Galatasaray midfielder Elano scored a first-half brace for Santos before Keirrison and Maikon Leite netted early in the second half to give their side a 4-0 lead.
Gremio’s Romulo pulled a goal back from the penalty spot in the 71st minute, while Bruno Riberio added further respectability to the scoreline with his 82nd-minute goal.
Americana also maintained its winning record courtesy of a 2-1 triumph over Botafogo SP at Estadio Decio Vitta.
After a scoreless first half, Charles found an opener for the home side before Rafael Chorao doubled Americana’s lead in the 72nd minute.
Botafogo’s Rodrigo Pontes reduced the visitors’ deficit in the 84th minute, but the minnows could not find an equaliser in the dying stages.
Ituano’s Jefferson helped his side open their Paulista account with a 1-0 victory over winless Sao Caetano, scoring the decisive goal in the eighth minute.
Paulista got off to a dream start at home to Sao Bernardo by scoring in the first minute via Barboza, but were held to a 1-1 draw when Nena equalised in the 43rd minute for the visitors.
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Palmeiras’ Patrick was the hero for his side in their trip to Oeste’s Estadio dos Amaros, scoring the only goal of the game in the 86th minute.
Corinthians and Noroeste played out a 1-1 draw at Estadio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvalho.
As the new Premier League season dawns upon us, so does with it the stream of newly designed kits.
For some supporters, the release of a new kit is a time of salvation, as a new, shiny American sports brand wheels out a classy design. For others, the notion of spending £40 plus on recycled polyester is simply far too much to bear.
But it is when a team like Fulham release a number as truly hideous and God-awful as their latest away kit, that fans from all clubs come together and rejoice at their misfortune. Knowing that however bad things get next season, they know they’ll never have to go to the terraces looking like an 80’s roadside mechanic.
Although every team has a dark closet full of football kit horrors. Those who have adorned the likes of Pony, Airness and Ribero over the years will have sore wounds opened up by events at Craven Cottage. So whilst we’re here, we may as well appreciate ten of the worst efforts in Premier League history.
Click on Wigan’s illumination to unveil the top 10
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Have I missed a horror show out or are you dismayed your favourite shirt has made the final cut? Get on Twitter and tell me, follow @samuel_antrobus