Raul Meireles could be on his way out of Chelsea after Turkish club Fenerbahce expressed strong interest in signing the midfielder.
The Turkish transfer window is still open and the Istanbul club’s president Aziz Yildirim is keen to land a big name in the next few days. Meireles is top of Yildirim’s list of targets and he has already opened negotiations with Chelsea about the Portugal international. Talks are at an advanced stage and Fenerbahce officials are confident of getting their man, reports Turkish newspaper Vatan. A ‘pre-agreement’ is said to have been reached between the two clubs, with the only issue still to be decided the exact fee to be paid for the player.
Meireles, who only moved to Stamford Bridge from Liverpool in August 2011, appears unlikely to be a regular member of Roberto Di Matteo’s starting line-up this season, following Chelsea’s summer spending spree. However, he may still be required as cover following the decision to allow Michael Essien to move to Real Madrid on loan.
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Marouane Fellaini has claimed he attempted a header as he set up Everton’s first goal in a thumping 3-0 victory at Swansea that keeps Everton in contention at the right end of the Premier League table.
The Sky Sports cameras seemed to show Fellaini push the ball with his arm to Victor Anichebe who slotted Everton in front as they continue their good early season form.
“It was a great game, the team played well and we scored three goals so everybody’s happy. It was a good job today by Everton.” Fellaini said.
Asked about his part in the opening goal, the Belgian added: “I tried to put my head on it.”
“This season I play more in the front so I try to score goals in the box, and at the moment it’s good for the team.
“At the moment the players have good confidence and we’ll try again in our next game on Tuesday to win against Leeds.”
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Sir Alex Ferguson’s illustrious career is littered with outrageous accusations, with his latest declaration that Manchester United are “probably the best” domestically at developing youth talent topping the pile. He may have masterminded the Golden Generation, but they are now confined to the history books, perhaps as one of football’s greatest abnormalities. So where do the club’s current crop of stars rank amongst their rivals?
“You look at the way Barcelona have produced players and we’re not far off that.” (manutd.com)
Herein lies the issue I have with Ferguson’s comments. Barcelona’s youth academy encompasses more than simply producing technically gifted players, it promotes the philosophy of both human and sporting excellence. The respect and admiration it commands gives it an almost religious significance in football. In comparison with the present set-up in Manchester, it’s light-years ahead.
All over Europe, certain teams have developed a reputation that sees them aspire to or indeed influence the Barcelona ‘way of life’. Dutch outfit Ajax aren’t so much a club as a school, designed to nurture true leaders on the pitch. Just cast your eye over the following names, Johan Cruyff, Edwin Van Der Sar, Dennis Bergkamp, Marco Van Basten, Van Der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder and Nigel De Jong.
English football can only dream of breeding such extraordinary home-grown talent and perhaps highlights why the top clubs have recently snapped up three further Ajax graduates in the form of Thomas Vermaelen, Jan Vertonghen and Vurnon Anita. Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon are another side famed for its ability to source the next generation of stars, I am sure United fans don’t need reminding of where Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo came form.
Ferguson points towards the FA Youth Cup success of 2011 as evidence to support his claim. However, Ravel Morrison and Paul Pogba, arguably the two-standout members of that team have since completed bitter departures from the club. Is it fair to suggest that United are developing a worrying trend of producing players that sadly don’t possess the appropriate mentality of a professional footballer?
The interview moves on to see Ferguson hail the potential of Ryan Tunnicliffe, Jesse Lingard and Michael and Will Keane. Indeed, both Tunnicliffe and Will Keane were handed debuts in the recent Capital One Cup third round victory over Newcastle United, alongside Scott Wotten who has found himself increasingly on the fringes of the first-team thanks to the current defensive injury crisis. Yet, only time will tell as to whether any of these players will be able to establish themselves on United’s demanding frontline.
It’s easy to forget that the likes of Gerard Pique and Giuseppe Rossi were once on the books at Old Trafford. These are perhaps the two most high-profile names that have excelled since leaving the club but it’s also worthy mentioning the likes of Ryan Shawcross and Ben Foster. Should United’s youth academy be praised for producing accomplished Premier League players or condemned for failing to produce players that cannot benefit the club itself? With this is mind, how are United any different from Arsenal, both sides are either failing to hang onto their gifted players or failing to recognise their full potential.
The current Manchester United first-team does feature academy starlets Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley, who have only just begun to make a positive impact on the international stage. In spite of their obvious talent, these players cannot be considered amongst the world’s best (yet) and nor are they part of a group of players capable of replacing the current line-up of stars.
Supporters of the club may disagree with everything I have written so far but let me ask you this: Would you rather the club produced one unique, exceptional individual every so often or several competent players capable of decorating the first-team because in my eyes, the current set-up is doing neither.
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When Billy Sharp departed Southampton for Nottingham Forest on Transfer Deadline Day, he left with some sadness. He left wanting questions answered.
The only question playing on his mind, that he wants answering now, why couldn’t he have taken a bigger bite out of the hot-dog that was thrust in his direction, as he celebrated with a wide smile that was viewable from the Blackpool Tower, after scoring Forest’s opener at Bloomfield Road?
The ‘Fat Lad from Sheffield’ took some time to get going, but it now looks as if he’s found his scoring boots, ready to be Forest’s 20 goal a season striker.
What were the reasons for his slow start?
From the high of getting promotion with Southampton, to the low of realising he was no longer needed. A significant role in the promoted Southampton side, but deemed not enough to get an opportunity in the Premier League. How he’d bounce back from the blow, would make interesting viewing.
Service was lacking in his opening games for Forest, because the midfield usually revolved around Lewis McGugan, who’s more prone to attempting the spectacular, rather than playing the simple ball. With McGugan finally out of the side, it’s certainly no coincidence that Billy Sharp has now been allowed to flourish.
In Raddy Majewski, Sharp has discovered someone on the same wavelength as himself, and in turn, Forest have found a partnership that will be the key to unlock many Championship defences this season. When Majewski entered the fray in the second half against Cardiff City, Billy Sharp lit up. The passing exchanges between the two, the anticipation of where they would both be to receive passes, made them appear as if they’d been playing together for years.
Using the confidence from Cardiff, he was now able to become a proper striker once again. Instead of working too hard for goals, as was evident against Peterborough, it all naturally flowed back. In the right place, at the right time as he directed a Chris Cohen header into the corner of the net.
At Peterborough, Sharp’s name was chanted in a manner aimed to back Sharp, but supporters still found themselves silently looking to the skies in the hope he wouldn’t follow the typical trend of brilliant strikers, that lose all of their natural, potent abilities at Forest.
At Blackpool, the convincing nature of the Billy Sharp chants increased. The realisation vibes oozed through the 1,500 Forest fans in attendance, seeping down to those listening on the radio. Everyone now knows Sharp has re-found his touch, ready to go on a goalscoring run that will alarm the rest of the Championship.
As Southampton struggle in an inevitable Premier League relegation battle this season, the bizarre move to loan out Billy Sharp may be looked at by their own, as a regrettable decision indeed. Whether the damage done is unrecoverable, is a question that will cross the mind of many at the St Mary’s over the course of the season.
As Southampton continue to ponder that thought, Billy Sharp is revelling in the love and appreciation from all of the Forest fans. The more goals he scores, the stronger the bond grows – hopefully coinciding with a rise up the league.
One man and his wallet have the perfect view of the growing relationship between the Forest supporters and Sharp. One thing’s for sure, Fawaz Al-Hasawi will not hesitate to offer Billy Sharp a permanent stay.
The best striker in the Championship?
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Simon Cox and Dexter Blackstock would have something to say about that.
Not bad times at Nottingham Forest, it must be said.
In another eagerly anticipated weekend in the Premier League where there is sure to be high drama, goalmouth action and controversial issues to be witnessed, what is likely to ensue in midweek will appear a dreary damp squib.
Yes, you guessed it, it’s the international break. Though thankfully, not a two-week break which makes us put a cross in our calendars every day until some exciting football returns to our screens, but just the unnecessary international friendlies that, in an environmentally turbulent (no pun intended) culture, tens of thousands of air miles are clocked up just so that substitutions can be made every time the ball boy goes to fetch the ball from the empty stands and we can be reminded in the comfort of our armchairs what a Mexican wave looks like.
Therefore, as England travel to Sweden on Wednesday to grace the Scandinavian country’s new stadium, it is hardly any surprise that Arsene Wenger has once again voiced his frustrating regarding Jack Wilshere’s inclusion in Roy Hodgson’s squad. In the past the Arsenal manager’s constant gripes over his players jetting off to play for their respective countries have become annoying. However, whether you love or hate Arsene Wenger, surely in this instance he has a point.
Wilshere is a world class talent and an invaluable member for both his club and country. After seventeen months out of action due to various injuries and niggles, it has been obvious in his three games back, in which he was only completed the full 90 minutes in one of these games, that he is not 100 per cent fit. In fact, arguably his sending off in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United was evidence that his match fitness wasn’t quite there as he toiled to keep up with the defensive duties that were imposed on him in a one-sided affair.
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Therefore, in fairness to Wenger, the question does have to be asked, how much can Wilshere actually benefit from playing in Sweden? The Frenchmen believes that he has arrived at a diplomatic solution with Roy Hodgson with the England manager telling Wenger on the phone that Wilshere has been selected so that he can, and I quote, ‘connect with the group’.
I find it hard to believe that the England manager is willing to fly Wilshere all the way to Sweden, so that he can gel with a 23-man squad, of which five haven’t won an England cap yet and are realistically unlikely to play when the World Cup does come around in two years time.
While there is nothing to benefit from Wilshere turning out for England next Wednesday, there is plenty to lose, and it would bring about a sore financial irony for Arsenal and Wenger, and here’s why. As Wenger has said himself, it is clear that these international fixtures in November act as preparation for World Cup qualifiers in March; this is what the friendlies in February are for. So the friendlies are quite clearly a money-making scheme in order to fill the pockets of the football authorities and the European governing bodies. To this extent, the friendlies are less about football and more about economics.
Therefore, if Jack Wilshere were to suffer a reoccurrence of one of the several niggles he has sustained during his lengthy delay, and if it were to keep him out for a sustained period of time once again, then the financial implications for Arsenal would be great. Wilshere is the type of player who can really have an impact for the better on Arsenal’s season. If he were to be out as a result of playing in a meaningless friendly, Wilshere’s injury could impact on the money they receive for finishing in the Premier League, merchandise on Wilshere, and dare I say the financial implication of not qualifying for the Champions League. This may seem a little far-fetched to surmise at this moment in time, but still true nonetheless.
Looking at Wilshere’s call-up from Wenger’s point of view, it is surely also a case of once bitten, twice shy for the Arsenal manager, following the injury sustained to Abou Diaby on international duty for France in World Cup Qualifiers against Finland and Belarus. Wenger had pre-warned the French Federation about the midfielder’s lack of fitness before the Finland match and consequentially Diaby hasn’t been available for Arsenal since thanks to France’s ignorance.
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For the risk of contradicting myself, I do think the Diaby situation was different in the sense that there is a void of importance between World Cup Qualifiers and friendlies. France are well within their rights to field an important player who may provide the assist or goal to win an important game for his country, whereas with Wilshere’s situation, there is no way his current fragile condition should be risked for a meaningless friendly.
So it will certainly be interesting to see how many minutes Wilshere gets on Wednesday, and while we’ll be dozing off as the 23rd substitution comes onto the pitch with just four minutes on the clock, Arsene Wenger will be edged forward on his sofa, biting what nails he has left, covering his eyes with his beret and praying that his starlet will pull through and be available for the north London derby just three days later.
Am I missing my patriotic fuse or does Wenger have a point? You can also voice your opinions on Twitter @matt_of_the_day
It is a mammoth task to compile just 10 of the many legends that have walked through the door at Arsenal. From the foreign purchases to home grown talent, the underlying factor has been the Arsenal supporters and their waving of the sword to signify a new hero at either Highbury or Ashburton Grove.
The current group of players and the trophy drought may make it seem difficult to remember a time of rampaging midfield generals and exquisite forwards, but the halls of Arsenal are forever filled with the names of those who have made the club great.
There are disappointments in that many of the recent stars of Arsenal have not gone on to fulfil their roles as undoubted legends of the club, seeking riches elsewhere and losing touch with the importance of the club. But regardless of their actions, it shouldn’t take away from the very real but often disguised figures in the team who are likely to go on to fill in their names alongside the greats of the club.
Click on Ian Wright to unveil the top 10
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Barcelona appear to have taken the upper hand in the race for Brazilian starlet Neymar, with his international team-mate Dani Alves urging him to join the Nou Camp outfit.
Manchester City and Chelsea are reportedly willing to splash the cash to bring the 20-year-old to the Premier League, but it is believed that the encouragement of one of his follow countrymen may sway his decision.
The right-back has openly encouraged the Santos attacker to join Barca, saying that it will be the best possible move to further his career:
“Obviously anybody would want to play for Barcelona.” He is quoted by The Metro.
“If Barcelona are interested in Neymar and if next month, next year or in two years he comes, I don’t know.
“I hope he does come here because, as I’ve already said, he would get better as a player and he would also improve the team.”
If he were to join the Catalan giants, it’s likely that he would be playing alongside Lionel Messi, in what would be a fearsome attack.
Reports have circulated that Alves has put Neymar in contact with the Argentine, however he denies this.
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Neither of the English duo are out of the race for highly-rated youngster, with both club’s able to offer him an extremely lucrative deal to join them.
Big spending Russians Anzhi Makhachkala are also interested, as are Real Madrid.
Norwich manager Chris Hughton celebrated the character shown by his players following their 1-1 Premier League draw with Southampton.
The Canaries fell behind to a Rickie Lambert effort, but came back through Robert Snodgrass, whose free-kick evaded Saints goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.
Norwich are now without a loss in their last seven games following a disappointing start to the season and Hughton feels the grit they showed on field displayed why their form has improved:
“The players are doing something right.” He told SkySports.
“When you look at the latter part of the game and we’re still attacking, still pushing forward trying to get the win, it shows the character.
“I’ve got a squad, particularly a bench, that is desperate to play. We have real competition for places and, at the moment, that is the key.
“Points in this division are very tough to get. At the moment, we are getting them.
“We’ve kept the run going. The performance warranted the result. I saw them play on Sunday and they played very, very well against Newcastle.
“They’ve got a lot of very good footballers in the team and you have to defend very well against them.”
However, there was one sour not for the manager who saw captain Grant Holt storm down the tunnel following his substitution, but he played down the situation:
“It’s not about the captain – it’s about a group of players that I’ve got that are totally committed,
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“I certainly don’t want to see players that are happy not to play and are happy to be brought off.
“My responsibility is to look after the squad and try and get the best out of them.
“If that means players showing a little bit of passion and desire, then I can certainly settle for that.”
Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has ruled out the possibility of Gareth Bale leaving the club during the January transfer window.
The Welsh winger has been linked with Real Madrid, with some believing that a partnership between the Galacticos and the Premier League club could see a £56m transfer agreed.
However, Villas-Boas has moved to scrap these reports by claiming that it would be “impossible” for the 23-year-old to leave in the New Year:
“It is completely impossible he will leave in January.” He is quoted by the Daily Mail.
“The transfer window always gives you the opportunity to strengthen your squad. Teams will lose players to African Cup of Nations, but there is a chance to strengthen a little bit. Ideally you’d prefer to avoid it. It’s for us, we should plan our season, stick to players we see in summer, define our season in our season plan and go on from there.”
The Portuguese coach went on to suggest that the mid-season transfer window can do more harm than good:
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“I think ideally for managers and clubs it would be a better situation if the window didn’t open or opened for less than one month.
“For players it is important to have that possibility to go and play more.”
Liverpool FC is a club with a proud and decorated history, a tradition stretching back decades, with Anfield a major cornerstone of the club’s strength both home and abroad, but under successive managers now, the teams out on the pitch have come to struggle at their spiritual home. But why?
The club currently sit in eighth place in the Premier League, a full ten points off Tottenham in fourth place and despite expectations being lowered to coincide with the dawning realisation that this is a side in transition, without the world-beaters of yesteryear, there is still a sense that under Brendan Rodgers that they are under-performing on home turf.
Liverpool have picked up a respectable tally of 18 points out of a possible 33 at home so far this campaign, winning five, drawing three and losing three, hitting just 17 goals and keeping six clean sheets. Wins against Reading, Southampton, Wigan, Sunderland and Fulham are precisely the sort that you would expect the team to register, and they’ve disappointed whenever a challenge has been put in front of them through a combination of profligate finishing, bad luck and poor performances.
For every defeat against Arsenal, where the side were outplayed throughout their 2-0 loss, there has been a 2-2 draw against Manchester City where the side should have emerged victorious were it not for a calamitous error from Martin Skrtel. Aligning consistent displays with victories proved to be Kenny Dalglish’s undoing last term, with the side far better than their points tally in the league suggested for the majority of the campaign and they appear to be following a similar inconsistent path to upper mid-table obscurity this season under Rodgers. The 61-year-old Scot managed just 22 points from a possible 57 during his tenure, tasting victory just six times at home which went a long way to contributing to the club’s eighth-place finish, costing him his job.
Rodgers addressed the issue back in August before the home game against City, telling reporters: “There can be a number of reasons why that (a poor home record) can be and sometimes it can play on players’ minds. They certainly had enough opportunities last year where they could have gone on and won games, and through whatever reason it didn’t materialise.
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“It is a combination of everything. If you continually have bad luck and don’t quite get the result your confidence level can be affected.
“When the opponent comes there is a greater motivation than any other ground because of the history around the club and people want to play there. For us you have to fight against that; you have to work harder and give a little bit more.
“We know that if we are going to have any sort of success this year, we’ve got to make sure we can win as many of our home games as we possibly can. Anfield is somewhere we want to make sure is a real fortress and there’s no better game to start working towards that than against the champions.”
Could it be that the pressure and expectation on the players is having a negative effect? Take the 1-1 draw at home to Newcastle back in early November for example, when after a bright start, with Liverpool bossing proceedings, they fell behind against the run of play to a corker of a goal from Hatem Ben Arfa; this saw Anfield resemble a morgue, bereft of atmosphere, with the tense finger-nibbling attitude of the terraces clearly spilling out onto the pitch, with the hosts nervy from then on.
That it took a goal of truly world-class proportions from Luis Suarez to haul the hosts back into the game and preserve their 18-year unbeaten record against the Magpies in front of their own fans spoke volumes for the psychological impact continually outplaying your opponents but failing to secure the results their displays deserve can have on a group of players. It must be disheartening.
Directly after the game against Newcastle, it had seen the club pick up just 29 points from 29 games at Anfield during the whole of 2012 so far. When you compare that to the 51 points gleaned in 2011, the 45 in 2010, 58 in 2009 and 65 in 2008, it is the tell-tale sign of a team in decline and more than a downwards trend which Rodgers has done his best to halt with recent dominant performances during the 4-0 win over Fulham and 3-0 canter over Sunderland.
In the past calendar year Liverpool have suffered defeats at the hands of Wigan, West Brom and Fulham while also slumping to disappointing draws to Aston Villa and Stoke, while the 3-1 defeat in the Capital One Cup to Swansea at the start of the season exposed how fragile and thin the depth of the squad is. The nadir of their loss of invincibility must be the 3-1 home defeat to a truly awful Aston Villa side back in December making sure, if ever there was any doubt, that 2012 has been a year to forget at Anfield.
In 2008-9, Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool side won 63.1% of their games at home, during 2009-10 it was 68.4% despite the club finishing a lowly seventh in the Spaniard’s last season at the club. In 2010-11 it was 63.1%, which seems relatively healthy considering the short-lived and disastrous reign of Roy Hodgson before dropping off to just 31.%% in 2011-12 under Dalglish. There is a malaise around the place; a cloud hanging in the air based around a desperate need to return to the top which appears to be making some players nervous when things aren’t going according to plan at home.
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There’s no denying that expectations have been lowered and the masses have accepted this fact. This period away from the top four should be treated above all else as an opportunity for the club to get its house in order without the pressure to pursue silverware, the effects of which are already being felt with the emergence of a whole host of talented youngsters into the first-team picture. Rodgers has stated in the past that there is ‘no quick fix’ to the broader, deeper-lying problems at Liverpool and that sustainable, long-term leadership from top to bottom is what’s required and it’s hard to disagree with that viewpoint.
Nevertheless, despite the patience of the club’s fans while Rodgers enjoys his first full campaign in charge, the wider problem of the club’s patchy home form has been prevalent for quite some time and needs fixing. Grinding out results even when the team isn’t playing well is going to be key to Liverpool’s progress over the next few years and will play a large part in whether the side compete for silverware at the higher end of the league.
Arresting the slide into mid-table mediocrity is not only important, it’s crucial to any lofty ambitions both fans and manager may have for the future and the regularity with which opposing forces plunder this once great fortress must be brought under control. It’s not going to happen overnight, but having a clear issue ahead of you to tackle and influence is a start.