Tottenham are monitoring the situation of Inter Milan playmaker Wesley Sneijder, according to the Metro.
The Dutchman has not played for the Serie A giants since September, as a dispute surrounding a pay-cut rumbles on.
Sneijder is reportedly unwilling to agree to the terms being put forward by his employers, which could see him make a cut-price January exit.
Premier League rivals Manchester United, Manchester City and French big spenders Paris Saint-Germain were thought to be leading the race for his signature, but Spurs have emerged as latest team to register an interest.
Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport believe that Andre Villas-Boas sees the 28-year-old as the ideal man to fill the void left by Luka Modric, who joined Real Madrid over the summer.
AVB drafted in the likes of Moussa Dembele and Gylfi Sigurdsson to replace the Croatian, but, as of yet, the duo have failed to provide the required creativity.
A bid of £8m is thought to be enough to tempt Inter Milan to part company with the midfielder, a fee considerably lower than the speculated cost of Joao Moutinho, with whom the White Hart Lane club have been strongly linked.
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Sneijder began his career at Ajax, before joining Real Madrid in 2007.
A turbulent two-year spell in the Spanish capital was brought to an end during 2009, as Inter paid just over £10m for his signature.
Lazio announced on Friday they had completed the signing of left-back Riza Durmisi which could in turn push through the exit of reported West Ham United target Jordan Lukaku, and Irons fans have been quick to react to the news.[ad_pod ]Italian media outlet Corriere dello Sera, via Lazio News, report that the east London clubs are in talks with the Serie A giants over a double swoop for Felipe Anderson and Lukaku, who would provide competition for the likes of Arthur Masuaku and Aaron Cresswell in the left-back/left wing-back role at the London Stadium.However, their Premier League rivals Leicester City are also said to be keen on Romelu’s 23-year-old brother, and it will be interesting to see if he does end up in the English top flight, or not.[brid autoplay=”true” video=”257647″ player=”12034″ title=”Three reasons we love to hate… Brazil and Argentina”]West Ham supporters, who are split on signing a 26-year-old World Cup ace following his latest display, have taken to social media to give their thoughts on the latest Lukaku development, and while one said “it would make sense to think Lukaku is on his way”, another said “Lukaku is just a poor Masuaku”.Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…
Southampton fans have not had much to celebrate this season due to the team’s poor form in the Premier League.
Mauricio Pellegrino’s side remain in the relegation zone, one point from safety following just five wins in 27 matches.
In the FA Cup, though, things have looked much more positive as the club managed to secure a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.
On Saturday, the Saints took on fellow top-flight club West Bromwich Albion after ousting Fulham and Watford in the previous rounds.
Wesley Hoedt and Dusan Tadic put the coastal club two goals to the good before the hour mark.
Salomon Rondon pulled one back for the Baggies, but it was not enough to inspire a comeback.
Later that evening, the quarter-final draw was made, and Southampton were rather unlucky as they could face league leaders Manchester City in the final eight.
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Pep Guardiola’s side take on Wigan Athletic in the fifth round on Monday evening, and barring a major upset, the Cityzens will face Southampton at home for a place in the semi-final.
Many Saints supporters are convinced that the team will play City instead of Wigan, and the prospect is filling them with dread.
Tom Cleverley is said to be part of the list of players that Louis van Gaal is considering giving the boot after he failed to make an impact ahead of the new campaign. Aston Villa have already tabled a bid to sign the English midfielder and a deal could be struck in the coming days with the deadline slowly closing in.
With Cleverley likely to leave, Manchester United will definitely be on the lookout for some extra reinforcements that could easily slot into his role in the middle of Van Gaal’s starting XI.
Shunning the more high profile signings such as Arturo Vidal, Kevin Strootman and William Carvalho (we’ve already heard enough about them) here are SIX players that could step in to replace Tom Cleverley.
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CLICK ON DALEY BLIND TO SEE THE FULL LIST
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Jordy Clasie
//www.youtube.com/embed/YA2BETCxIpg
Name: Jordy Clasie
Age: 23
Position: Central Midfielder
Nationality: Netherlands
Club: Feyenoord Rotterdam
Price: £7-10million
Jordy Clasie looks to be the perfect replacement for Tom Cleverley in central midfield because Manchester United are currently lacking a fast-paced talent to be the link between the defenders and the more advanced playmakers, in this case Juan Mata.
Despite scoring only one goal, he did manage to create eight goals, supporting the fact that Clasie can be the second playmaker United currently need. Having already worked under Louis van Gaal, the Dutch boss will know exactly how to get the best of him.
Nigel de Jong
//www.youtube.com/embed/DeLetReQFBY
Name: Nigel de Jong
Age: 29
Position: Defensive Midfielder
Nationality: Netherlands
Club: AC Milan
Price: £8–12million
Manchester United are currently going through a midfield crisis, so by using Nigel de Jong ahead of Tom Cleverley, the squad will be reinforced both in defence as well as in attack. The Dutch midfielder is capable of stopping opponent plays in their tracks and works the ball down the opposite side hoping to catch teams on the counter.
With the speed of Angel di Maria now a possible outlet, Louis van Gaal can fully exploit his ability to turn defence into attack. Given the 3-5-2 formation, De Jong can easily slot into a more central midfield role having already experienced it first hand with the Dutch national team.
Joe Allen
//www.youtube.com/embed/bZFvIs_6nVA
Name: Joe Allen
Age: 24
Position: Central Midfielder
Nationality: Wales
Club: Liverpool
Price: £15-20million
Joe Allen is another candidate that can aid Manchester United’s midfield crisis, but the only problem with this potential move is the fact that Liverpool hardly ever sells their players directly to the Red Devils.
Louis van Gaal is said to already be monitoring the likes of Allen and has been interested ever since he saw him play for the Welsh national team during his time in charge of the Netherlands squad. His passing and vision could come in handy given the lack of creativity at Old Trafford.
Daley Blind was linked with a move to Manchester United ever since Louis van Gaal was still in charge of the Dutch national squad. However, when everybody focussing on Arturo Vidal, any other transfer rumours were quietly pushed aside. As a move for the Juventus star likely to not happen before Monday, United are now turning back to the like of Blind.
The addition of Blind will be a huge boost to Van Gaal because he can fit into all the area the team needs work on. He can play as a centre-back, a left wing back, and even as a midfielder, meaning the Red Devils can solve three positional problems in one go.
Alex Song
//www.youtube.com/embed/b8khiA5Io1s
Name: Alex Song
Age: 26
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Position: Defensive Midfielder
Nationality: Cameroon
Club: Barcelona
Price: £10-13 million
Alex Song is almost surely on the verge of leaving Barcelona after Luis Enrique revealed that he will not feature in his plans for the new campaign. His move to the La Liga completely halted his career after he hardly got any game time following his move from Arsenal.
His defensive as well as attacking qualities are surely there; just that he hasn’t had any time to showcase them. With Manchester United needing to add some holding midfielders to the squad before deadline day, the experience of Song could be just the thing they need. Plus, a potential linkup with Robin van Persie once again will be hard on the eyes for any Gunners fan.
Wesley Sneijder
//www.youtube.com/embed/nQJvmyAxs_Q
Name: Wesley Sneijder
Age: 30
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Nationality: Netherlands
Club: Galatasaray
Price: £14-18million
Wesley Sneijder is probably the most attacking option out of all the names mentioned, but given his experience, Louis van Gaal may revert him into a more central role, but allowing him to slot into attacks when the opportunity arise. He can instantly replace Tom Cleverley, who hasn’t found any decent form as of late in the heart of the Manchester United midfield.
Much like how Liverpool limited Steven Gerrard’s duties in midfield, Sneijder can be given a very similar role to that of the Red’s skipper. He could serve as a deep lying playing, capable of unleashing a killer pass to the strikers, or to other attacking outlets such as Angel Di Maria or Juan Mata.
Confidence is key. In any given situation, having confidence in your abilities improves your performance. For the modern day footballer self-belief is imperative should you want to become one of the world’s best.
There is no one who promotes this better than Cristiano Ronaldo, who, for all intents and purposes, believes he is the best in the world. While this may not be true in some Argentinian’s eyes, scoring 165 goals in 162 games allows you to have an overwhelming large ego.
However, not every egotistical player has either the abilities or goalscoring record of Ronaldo and these are the players who are on a knife edge, in danger of ruining their careers due to their unwarranted egocentricity.
From the player who believes they are too good for their club, to the star caring more about their looks than their performances on the pitch, this list of ten footballers highlights why some of them, should let their feet do the talking.
Click on Mario Balotelli to reveal the full list of egocentric footballers
The Arsenal fans in the Transfer Tavern have all been saying exactly the same thing in response to their club’s Twitter post. The club tweeted two pictures of Aaron Ramsey of his first and most recent headshots in his time at the club, and the fans all believe that it’s a sign that he’ll be getting a new contract soon.
Ramsey has slowly made his way to being one of Arsenal’s most important players. The midfielder can be deployed in a number of positions but is most potent when roaming and finding space from central midfield behind the likes of Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. His runs from deep are what you’d expect from Paul Pogba in his Juventus days and when he’s on his game he is unplayable.
The fans understand the importance that he has to the current squad and Unai Emery would be doing himself a massive favour in winning the fans over by making Aaron Ramsey’s contract extension a priority. The 27-year-old has been at Arsenal for a whopping ten years now and with his contract set to expire next summer, everyone associated with the club will want to see a new deal for Welshman on the table as soon as possible.
You can read our local Gunners’ verdict on their club’s tweet here:
Arsenal fans everywhere will be delighted when Ramsey signs a new deal with the club, his performances over the last few years for both Arsenal and Wales have put him on the map as of the best players in the Premier League in his position and he’ll be keen to remain at Arsenal for longer.
According to reports in the Daily Mail, Manchester United are keeping tabs on Nice midfielder Jean Seri, who has a release clause of around £33m, ahead of a possible summer move after watching the Ivory Coast international in action in the Europa League on Thursday night.
What’s the word, then?
Well, the Daily Mail says a number of the Red Devils’ scouting team watched the 26-year-old in action in his side’s 3-2 defeat against Lokomotiv Moscow at the Allianz Arena on Thursday night, while their head of scouting, Marcel Bout, also watched him in person against Monaco last month.
Jose Mourinho is known to want to strengthen his midfield options during the summer with Michael Carrick retiring and with the futures of Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera potentially in doubt with the Belgian still yet to sign a new contract and with the Spaniard being linked with a move to AC Milan.
How has Seri done this season?
The 26-year-old nearly joined Barcelona during the summer after a brilliant 2016/17 campaign for the Ligue 1 outfit, but he has been slightly less effective from an attacking point of view this term as he has often played in a more defensive role in the middle of the park.
The Ivorian has scored one goal and provided a further six assists in 30 appearances in all competitions, compared to seven goals and 10 assists in 34 outings in total during the previous season when he was playing more of a box-to-box role.
According to WhoScored.com, he has an overall passing accuracy of 90.9% in 23 appearances in Ligue 1 and the Europa League this term, while he has still made 50 key passes even when he has mainly been playing in a deeper defensive role.
Would he be a good signing for United?
He certainly would be.
If Mourinho is looking for an energetic midfielder to make an impact at both ends of the pitch to work alongside Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba, then it is no surprise that Seri is near the top of his list.
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The 26-year-old has been hugely impressive for Nice and looks as though he has the ability to make the step up to a club like the Red Devils.
At £33m he could be one of their cheaper options in that position too, and would allow Mourinho to play the 4-3-3 system that so many fans seem to want him to play to get the best out of Pogba.
If Arsenal fans want to catch an early glimpse of a potential replacement for Bacary Sagna, they will have to stay up until 2:00am to watch Japan’s World Cup opener against the Ivory Coast. Japan’s Atsuto Uchida has been recently earmarked as the man to fill the Frenchman’s boots at the Emirates. He has become a key figure in Schalke’s side since signing for them in 2010, and is another player in the line of Japanese internationals who have moulded their careers in the Bundesliga.
Upon arrival in Germany, Uchida used English to communicate with his colleagues, so the language barrier won’t be a tough one for him to overcome if he were to join the Gunners. Over time he has become an increasingly popular member of the side, with fans and players alike, and was inducted into the Bundesliga’s website Team of the Season.
Uchida’s inclusion in the Arsenal side would be an attacking one. He often takes up positions high up the right flank, which is similar to the way in which Wenger often sets his full-backs up to play. He doesn’t have great speed, and neither does Sagna, but his work-rate and supreme levels of fitness allow him to bomb on and provide support in attacking areas.
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He isn’t as defensively astute as his French counterpart, and is neither as physically dominant. While Sagna was able to fill in at centre-half because of his strength, Uchida is more lightweight, and the Gunners wouldn’t be getting a player with the same level of versatility as Sagna. While Uchida is a hard-working and committed player, many of his efforts are weighted towards his attacking contribution, and has such been found wanting defensively, on occasions.
He may not be the ideal replacement for Sagna – he lacks the all-round ability – but Wenger loves his players to display attacking intent. Uchida has this in abundance. So Gonners, if you’re keen, stay up late to see for yourselves.
Roberto Mancini has reportedly given his Manchester City players a severe ticking-off after their abject performance in Wednesday’s 3-1 defeat against Ajax in the Champions League.
But many members of the squad feel Mancini should shoulder some of the blame, with the Italian deciding to use just three defenders in their back line; a formation which the players found difficult to adjust to.
City now have just one point from their opening three games and must win all their remaining matches to stand any chance of progressing into the knockout stages.
The relationship between manager and players is reportedly strained, but apparently this is not highlighted when the team wins on a regular basis; although is this lack of unity threatening to undermine City’s chances of success this season?
Mancini himself made a good point in stating that good players should be able to adapt to any formation; but it could be argued that his constant tinkering with the side is not helping matters, especially in defence.
It is not the first time this relationship between player and manager has been tested, when Joe Hart gave a heartfelt post-match interview in City’s last-gasp defeat to Real Madrid, claiming that the result was unacceptable after twice leading the match.
The City gaffer responded in his own post-match press conference that it was his responsibility to assess the team’s performance, not Hart’s in an obvious dig at his goalkeeper.
Mancini also does not appear to have anywhere near the same respect as the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United enjoys; especially when players such as Mario Balotelli are allowed to get away with murder and Carlos Tevez can go on a self-imposed exile and return just in time to act as hero in City’s title triumph.
Therefore, there is a strong belief that the star players are much more important than the manager at the club and of course, this should not be the case.
But at least Mancini is beginning to stamp down his authority at the club; after previously shouldering the blame for any defeat in the past and putting all the pressure on himself in City’s successful quest for the Premier League title last season.
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This is the first real time where Mancini has publicly criticised his players and recognises that he needs to be tougher in order for City to stay at the top.
The prospect of early elimination from the Champions League is not simply down to tactics, but to complacency and a degree of naivety; with the players needing to recognise that now is the time to listen to their manager and be prepared to adapt in order to stay apart of Europe’s elite.
According to Spanish media outlet AS, Arsenal are one of three clubs interested in signing FC Porto star Miguel Layun if he doesn’t sign a permanent deal with Sevilla following a loan spell last season.
What’s the word, then?
Well, AS report that Gunners boss Unai Emery, as well as AC Milan and Marseille, are ready to pounce for the versatile 29-year-old, who impressed for Mexico in their 1-0 World Cup win against the holders Germany last weekend.
The 5ft 10in tall star, who played in an attacking role in that match and humiliated defender Mats Hummels among others, but can also play as a full-back and defensive midfielder, would have caught the eye of a number of clubs with his impressive display.
If he did arrive at the Emirates Stadium, he would likely be competing with the likes of Alex Iwobi, Hector Bellerin, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Granit Xhaka for a spot in the starting XI.
How did Layun do last season?
After a difficult first-half of the campaign with Porto, the former Watford man was a regular in the Sevilla side – mainly at right-back – as he made 18 appearances in all competitions for them, scoring two goals.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”257647″ player=”12034″ title=”3 Reasons We Love To Hate… Brazil and Argentina”]
Why would he be a bad Arsenal signing?
While Layun was hugely impressive against Germany in the World Cup and could prove to be something of a bargain buy this summer, the Gunners should be looking to add players that are better than what they already have this summer, and it would be hard to argue that the 29-year-old is.
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He would be third-choice right-back behind Bellerin and Lichtsteiner, and it would be hard to see him getting regular minutes in midfield, especially with talented youngsters like Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Reiss Nelson already waiting in the wings behind the north London outfit’s senior players.
If Emery, whom Arsenal fans have demanded sign a £67.5m attacker following his latest World Cup display, did bring the Mexican to the Emirates, he would be making his first error since he took charge.