Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez has made two changes to the side that was beaten 1-0 by West Bromwich Albion at St James’ Park last weekend for the trip to Watford on Saturday, and Magpies fans have been quick to react.
Javier Manquillo and Jacob Murphy come in on the right-hand side in place of DeAndre Yedlin and Matt Ritchie, who both drop to the substitutes’ bench alongside Joselu and Mikel Merino, while Dwight Gayle, whom Toon fans on Twitter want to be sold, also starts.
The Tyneside outfit won’t want to let their Premier League season peter out following successive defeats against Everton and the Baggies, with them still needing points to ensure that they end what has been a successful season in the top-half of the table.
Newcastle supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on Benitez’s selection, and while one said “not great”, another said “not sure about this… hopefully I’m wrong”.
After what seemed like an age, Petr Cech finally completed his move across London when he signed for Arsenal earlier this week. The Chelsea legend cost the Gunners around £11m and brings a wealth of experience gained during a trophy-laden spell at Stamford Bridge.
Signing Cech is exactly the short-term ruthlessness Arsenal have been craving for so long. No longer worried about the development of Wojciech Szczesny, or how David Ospina might fare having settled in for a year, Wenger has paid over ten million pounds for a 33-year-old. The mentality behind it is what winners are made of, as proved by Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ten years ago, Fergie took Edwin van der Sar from Fulham for what now seems a steal, with a reported fee of £2m putting the Dutchman between the sticks at Old Trafford. Perhaps not the most sound financial business for a ‘keeper then well into his 30s, but the player himself proved that age is just a number time and time again.
The purchase of Van der Sar finally put an end to the desperate attempts to replace the Great Dane, Peter Schmeichel. Already a Champions League winner from his time with Ajax, Sir Alex knew he was buying success. And success is what he got.
Four Premier League titles followed, with the stopper breaking the Premier League record for consecutive clean sheets along the way. The success story hit its highest peak when Van der Sar saved Nicolas Anelka’s penalty in the famous 2008 Champions League final, winning the trophy for the Red Devils.
Could Arsenal’s capture of Cech lead to similar success? The glove seems to fit. The parallels in this signing and Sir Alex’s stroke of genius are striking. Like Manchester United a decade ago, it seems Arsenal are finally addressing their ‘keeping conundrum. Just as Schmeichel proved nigh on impossible to replace, the Gunners have found it notoriously difficult to replace their own iconic shot stopper, David Seaman. Jens Lehmann might argue with that, though.
Arsenal are also buying a proven winner. Cech’s stoic performances in West London rightly earned him the right to call himself the best ‘keeper in the world. Though ageing, his heroics in the 2012 Champions League final can’t be so quickly forgotten. Only the emergence of Thibaut Courtios, an exceptional ‘keeper with age on his side, could keep Cech from being the undisputed No. 1 at Stamford Bridge for many more years to come.
Wenger himself may have looked to the Van der Sar deal as a precedent. Signing a European Cup winner the wrong side of 30 to improve your squad in the (relative) short-term is the complete opposite to his entire philosophy during the eight barren years spanning from the 2005 FA Cup win to the 2014 repeat.
The Arsenal boss is now buying success rather than potential, an approach the Gunners have desperately needed for many a year now. The Cech signing has the potential to replicate the van der Sar deal near enough a decade its previous. Whilst Wenger before may have recruited an obscure teenager from God knows where, he has pulled off perhaps the biggest transfer coup in ten years.
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Arsenal and Manchester City could reignite their interest in Paraguayan striker Lucas Barrios, who has admitted that he is keen to make a summer move, according to reports from talkSPORT.
The 28-year-old moved to Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande last year, but is already considering his options after failing to settle in the Far East.
It is believed that he is currently embroiled in a contract dispute with his employers, which is similar to that suffered by Didier Drogba.
The Ivorian was eventually allowed to move on for free, and now plays for Galatasaray.
Barrios admitted recently that he is far from happy with the situation and is looking to leave in a bid to get his career back on track.
Prior to his switch to Guangzhou Evergrande, the South American hot-shot impressed with Borussia Dortmund, averaging a goalscoring record of almost one in every two games.
This alerted both City and Arsenal, although they were unable to match the financial lure of Chinese football.
But now they could rekindle their interest and offer Barrios a European lifeline.
The duo are both in the market for attacking reinforcements, with City particularly short on forward threats having sold Carlos Tevez.
Arsenal are reportedly closing in on Gonzalo Higuain, but could turn to Barrios if the deal collapses.
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Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew has ruled out a move for former Toon striker Andy Carroll as he appears to be looking for young, fresh targets before the window slams shut.
Newcastle have been linked with a move for Liverpool’s out of favour striker all summer but the shrewd mover of the transfer market, Pardew, appears to be looking elsewhere to bolster his European Newcastle outfit.
Pardew made it clear that he is looking to add youth to his experienced set up at the Sports Direct Arena ahead of Friday’s transfer deadline and he didn’t seem interested in talking about Andy Carroll at all.
“I don’t think so,” Pardew told talkSPORT. “We’re talking more of a younger player who could perhaps take the club forward.
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“We’ve taken two or three younger players this season who have done very well for us. It depends if the price is right and everything fits the bill.”
Tottenham Hotspur suffered a shock defeat away to relegation candidates West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, conceding a goal in the last moments of the game to lose 1-0.
It was former Spurs man Jake Livermore who found the winning goal, giving the Baggies a slither of hope in their battle to beat the drop to the English Championship.
From Spurs’ perspective it was a damaging defeat, given they are still not guaranteed a top four finish. A Chelsea victory on Sunday against Liverpool would put them two points behind Mauricio Pochettino’s side with two games to play.
Fans were left fuming with the performance and had particular criticism for midfielder Victor Wanyama, whose style of play was not suited to breaking down a packed and organised West Brom defence.
Some believe he hasn’t been good enough for a while though and they’re looking for him to be sold this summer. Is that a harsh assessment?
Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts…
If Harry Kane’s Hurrikane were powered by the ridiculous hype he receives in the media, the Tottenham striker’s swirling winds would have decimated the whole of London by now – and probably bordering parts of Kent.
That’s no disrespect to the 21 year-old, who fully deserves the PFA Young Player of the Year award for emerging from the peripheries of the Lilywhites squad to finish the season as the Premier League’s top scoring Englishman – not to mention netting just seconds into his England debut against Lithuania.
But comparisons with German World Cup winner Thomas Muller? An apparent crossbreed of the Premier League’s all-time top scorer Alan Shearer and the thinking man’s preferred England centre-forward Teddy Sheringham? A £40million target for Manchester United? The Hurrikane is spinning out of control.
You have to wonder whether the whimsical nature of Kane’s sudden rise to the top – the accompanying soundtrack of ‘He’s one of our own’ chants, the intoxicating fairytale of local boy comes good in Roy of the Rovers style, mythological fables of him being born with the Spurs badge birthmarked on his buttocks and raised by a gang of feral cockerels on the mean streets of Chingford – have sensationalised opinions on the young striker.
The meme-a-minute world of social media and the realm of Premier League punditry appear to have overlapped, a disturbance in the footy-opinion-continuum making Kane the heir apparent to Shearer, Wayne Rooney and possibly even Bobby Charlton.
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Of course, there are some logic to the comparisons. Like Muller, Kane’s energy and enthusiasm is infectious, whilst he echoes the Bayern Munich forward’s manner of finding the net in simple-yet-clinical style. Like Sheringham, he’s a shrewd link-up player, crafty and technical with his back to goal and like Shearer, he’s imperious in the air with an obvious passion for his local club.
Overall, the Three Lions starlet is already a very well-rounded centre-forward; but after just two caps and single season in Tottenham’s first team, he’s still yet to prove himself truly worthy of association with some of England’s all time greats.
One-season wonders are hardly unheard of in the Premier League. In fact, they’re pretty common. Marcus Stewart was the Premier League’s second-top scorer during the 2000/01 campaign with 19 goals but bagged just seven more in his next 47 top flight appearances, succumbing both Ipswich and Sunderland to relegation.
Likewise, Michu, once an apparent target of Arsenal and Manchester United after netting 18 times during his debut Premier League campaign, has managed just two goals and 20 league appearances since. After spending the season rotting in Napoli’s reserves – representing them in Serie A only thrice – Swansea now face the improbable task of getting the Spaniard off their wage bill this summer.
Michael Ricketts, Roque Santa Cruz, Michael Bridges, Mikael Forssell, Benjani and Tottenham’s very own Mido all accompany Michu and Stewart in the Premier League’s one-season wonder Hall of Fame. As big a chance Kane has of producing another twenty-goal season during the 2015/16 campaign, at this point he’s equally likely to become the Hall of Fame’s next inductee. Lets not forget, two seasons ago he was struggling to score in the Championship for Millwall and Leicester City.
Indeed, the continuous hype says far more about the footballing world surrounding Kane than the striker himself; the media’s lust for hyperbole and sensational price-tags; the manner in which every home-grown player now costs three or four times as much as their foreign counterparts; the lack of hope invested in the current national team, to such an extent any young, promising player is billed as the next Three Lions legend.
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To give credit where it’s due, the 21 year-old seems to have taken it all in his stride, batting away rumours of a summer move to Old Trafford, netting against Lithuania with emphatic ease, yet to involve himself in the fag-puffing, hippy-crack-toking world of some of his England team-mates.
But if there’s one thing young players don’t need, it’s added pressure.The lingering concern of Kane not fulfilling his ultimate potential simply because everybody keeps talking about it so much verges upon Shakespearean irony.
Although Radamel Falcao’s elite set of striking gifts ensure that the Atletico Madrid striker is likely to have the cream of Europe’s biggest clubs queuing up to fight for his signature this summer, you would have thought that Manchester United might be a notable absentee from such a shortlist.
With Sir Alex Ferguson already boasting arguably the most fearsome strikeforce in the Premier League in the quartet of Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck, while the chance to sign Falcao must be a source of real temptation for the Scot, the money that it would take to prise the Colombian away from the Vicente Calderon has generally been thought of as being better spent elsewhere.
Yet while the noise coming out of Old Trafford directly appears to be toeing the general consensus of supporters, a steady slew of reports suggesting to the contrary have reared their heads in recent days.
And in the most illuminating report yet, we’ve been led to believe that not only have United sent their chief scout Jim Lawlor to run the rule over the 27-year-old during Madrid’s recent 5-0 thumping over Granada, but that the club are ready to broker a £47million deal for the forward, with Javier Hernandez going the other way as a £20million-rated makeweight.
Ferguson was, as you would expect, sneeringly dismissive of such a prospect, simply asking reporters whether they “honestly believed” that the club were likely to swoop for the former-Porto man. Considering renowned rumour-stirrers Marca and The Daily Mail are the two publications championing the story, understandably, few are particularly convinced over the credentials of such a deal.
Yet putting the shoe on the other foot, this isn’t the first time this season we’ve seen United linked with a swoop for another elite hitman, following reported interest in Borussia Dortmund’s Robert Lewandowski and for as little credibility as the tabloid media may possess, it’s hardly as if Ferguson has enjoyed an unnervingly truthful rapport with the press over the years.
What’s made this element of transfer speculation resoundingly different from some of the other reports we’ve seen this season, however, has been the indifferent reaction Falcao’s name seems to have sat with supporters. Because although his talent is one that no fan would begrudge seeing grace the Theatre of Dreams, it would be the overlooking of a midfield that remains in desperate need of an upgrade that would particularly resonate with the wider public in the red half of Manchester.
And that applies to not just a mooted deal for Falcao, but one for Lewandowski, Burak Yilmaz or any other top European striker for that matter.
With United already looking somewhat top-heavy as a squad as it is, while players like Falcao only come along once in a while, there is surely only so many more goals that can be added to this side.
In van Persie and Rooney, Ferguson already possesses arguably the two finest goalscorers in the Premier League and considering the acquisition of the former has pushed the latter – along with the 27 league goals he scored last season – into a deeper midfield position, it’s difficult to even comprehend the acquisition of another out and out striker.
Furthermore, that’s not even taking into account the mere seven starts that Hernandez, another of the league’s most natural goalscorers, has been consigned to this campaign.
It would be naïve to try and second-guess a manager that bestows the acumen of Ferguson’s class, although if Rooney’s midfield deployment during the recent 2-0 win over Stoke City was something of a dress-rehearsal for a long term stint in the role, then perhaps reports linking United with another frontman aren’t quite as far-fetched as some may believe.
The Englishman enjoyed a superb showing from deep, albeit against futile opposition given Tony Pulis’ side’s recent woes and there has been a school of thought that a long-term midfield berth could prove just the solution that both club and player have been looking for.
Although to wheel out the aged out cliché of the best players not always necessarily making the best team, forcing Rooney deeper within this team to accommodate yet another gifted forward player feels like an incredibly awkward way of solving a midfield issue that requires a long term blueprint – not just a fantasy stop gap.
Because regardless of Rooney’s merits as a would-be midfielder, it’s his credentials as a frontman, that should lay waste to another deal for a forward at Old Trafford.
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During his deployment as an out-and-out striker at United over the last three seasons before van Persie’s arrival, Rooney scored a staggering 84 goals in all competitions. That’s a record that leaves him very few peers in the European game, let alone simply in English football, but still, the 27-year-old has had to make way for the Dutchman as the preferred striker at the club.
The quality, depth and versatility that Ferguson has managed to accumulate and develop at the club has rendered Manchester United as one of the few clubs in Europe that would have little to gain by signing Radamel Falcao.
Had they not possessed such a pressing need to address other areas of the team, maybe the Colombian’s talent might well justify the upheaval of both current personnel and ebbing away of transfer funds needed to bring him to the club.
But for all his box-office glamour and unworldly striking ability, Falcao’s arrival cannot come ahead of the acquisition of another truly world-class midfielder. And given the price it will cost in order to find that man, there’s no way his potential arrival could be framed as anything less than a luxury.
At the start of last season, the thought of Danny Rose following Kyle Walker out of the Tottenham exit door would have filled the club’s fans with dread.
Now, as Manchester United reportedly circle again, ready to offer the man valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, the chance to join Walker in the north-west, the prospect appears distinctly more palatable to their fanbase.
The England international is sweating on his World Cup place and has been usurped in the pecking order in North London by Ben Davies.
The downfall began after a brutally honest interview Rose gave the Sun just days before the start of the season and the Spurs fans are now rather more non-plussed about his rumoured departure.
Rose was once a popular figure as Spurs waited a fair while for him to come good but the tide has turned now and we’ve taken a closer look at the best of the reaction…
Harry Kane has nabbed all the limelight for young English strikers this season, but Danny Ings’ form should not slip under the radar.
In a Burnley side assembled on a shoestring budget with a fair amount of Championship standard players, the 22-year-old has notched an impressive nine Premier League goals in his debut season in the big time – including a lovely diving header at Old Trafford in a 3-1 loss.
Manchester United are believed to be leading the race for his signature this summer as a free –albeit compensation will have to be paid to the Clarets – transfer at the end of his contract awaits, but Spurs are also lingering in the background. The lure of the Theatre of Dreams and working under Louis van Gaal may be tempting, but we at FFC Towers thing White Hart Lane is the right place for the marksman… and here are FIVE reasons why.
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Greater chance of first-team football
At 22, Ings needs to play football. His development at Burnley has been excellent due to regular minutes on the pitch, and the only way he’s going to get better and establish himself in the Premier League is by playing games. Although Tottenham have Kane, the England U-21 star does have a good chance of getting regular minutes at White Hart Lane, with the Lilywhites likely to be balancing domestic and European football again next season – so long as they can sneak into a late Europa League spot.
Spurs need a centre-forward
Coinciding with the regular football angle, Spurs are short on attacking options. Kane’s rapid rise to become the club’s key centre-forward shows how poor Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado have been, and with reports suggesting they may be shipped out this summer, Pochettino may find himself with only one genuine striker.
Ings would surely benefit from this and be given the chances he needs.
Is he good enough for Man United?
Manchester United have title aspirations and dreams of Champions league glory. Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie are strikers at Old Trafford. The pressure is massive and top players in the past have struggled. Is Ings up to it? Maybe not. We shouldn’t forget that this is the Burnley man’s first season in the top tier, and although he’s netted nine goals, the leap from playing alongside the likes of Sam Vokes and Ashley Barnes to linking up with Angel di Maria or Rooney is massive.
Pochettino good with young players
His work at Southampton with Jay Rodriguez, Calum Chambers and Luke Shaw was impressive and Pochettino has built on that at White Hart Lane by transforming Kane from an also ran into potential Premier League Player of the Year. All of the aforementioned players are at the starts of their careers, and with Ings being 22 he still needs nurturing.
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Harry Kane may be a one-season wonder
Battling Kane for first-team action in a one-striker system – as it stands – may not be entirely appealing for Ings, but the fact that this was the Spurs man’s breakthrough campaign offers some encouragement. Kane has been good, but there’s no getting away from the feeling that he’s not amazing technically, not overly fast in a straight line and, in general, not a brilliant player.
This season could prove to be a flash in the pan, and should his form and confidence dip next term, Ings could find himself leading the line for a team with genuine top four ambitions.
After the exploits of Marcelo Bielsa’s team last season, Athletic Bilbao found themselves rising up the status ladder in European football. The performances were stunning at times, but the romance of an all-Basque team really does catch the imagination. From the side that fought all the way to two cup finals last season, are there really any names currently housed at San Mames that wouldn’t be welcomed in the Premier League?
There’s being prudent and keeping the good of the business at the fore of your mind, and then there’s being extremely clever with limited resources in the transfer market. Arsenal’s public pursuit of Athletic Bilbao’s Fernando Amorebieta could potentially be a very smart move with the player’s contract coming to an end this summer.
Some supporters might be concerned that Amorebieta is similar in stature to Per Mertesacker. To those who are sharp enough to look beyond the stupidity of “one of the league’s worst defenders,” the German centre-back is exactly what Arsenal have been in need of, and Amorebieta is more of the same. The Bilbao defender, who currently represents Venezuela, comes equipped with an increase in pace over the German, while the same sense of defending first, messing around later is prevalent.
While Arsenal are more than set with a defender who knows how to play the ball out from the back in Laurent Koscielny (and Thomas Vermaelen if he remains at the club beyond the summer), the team have been in need of a throwback to the traditional styles of defending. Technical ball players with plenty of mobility is a plus for those who use a high defensive line and an assured presence in midfield, but there now needs to be an overwhelming sense that the team will and can hold a position of strength for a significant period during a game.
It doesn’t always need to be the big names on the continent. I’m certain that there isn’t a real issue with how much money Arsene Wenger spends at Arsenal, rather the concern being with what he does with it. A good number of transfers in England and across Europe in recent windows have provided evidence that spending big doesn’t always guarantee success, while the business of clubs like Newcastle and Swansea have been praised league-wide.
Amorebieta fits the mould in terms of being relatively unknown, yet who has enough experience in one of Europe’s best leagues to allow for a smooth transition to Arsenal. The player is a perfect counter for Arsenal against the physical sides in the north of England. Coupled with his height, notable power and fearless approach to a heated battle in the penalty area, there is very little to doubt from Amorebieta and what he could offer to Arsenal.
The stumbling block, however, is that Amorebieta could fall into the trap of looking worse than he actually is. Buying good players is one thing, but it absolutely needs to be married with strict defensive coaching and a clear understanding between the back four and goalkeeper. The arrival of the Bilbao defender would be a promising step in the right direction, but it’s essential that Wenger continues with his newly-adopted sense of defence.
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The Arsenal manager is often criticised for not being decisive with potential signings, even for players available on a free transfer. Yet the signing of Amorebieta will prove to be a one of Wenger’s smarter moves of recent summers – provided, of course, he seals the deal.