Bayern Munich right-back Joshua Kimmich impressed and scored in his side’s 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie against Real Madrid at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night, and Manchester United fans have urged their club to sign the defender, rated at £49.5m by Transfermarkt.
The 23-year-old has been in impressive form for the Bundesliga champions this season, and he has scored five goals and provided a further 17 assists for the German giants in 42 appearances in all competitions.
Meanwhile, Red Devils manager Jose Mourinho may well be looking for a new right-back this summer as it is quickly becoming a problem position for him, with Antonio Valencia getting no younger and being criticised by his own fans on Twitter for his displays.
Man United supporters were quick to have their say on Kimmich’s latest display via social media, and while one said “give Bayern whatever they want”, another said “Kimmich to replace Valencia please”.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Another season of Europa League football beckons for Tottenham after missing out on the top four once again, but while this comes as a disappointment to the club there has certainly been one major positive they can take from the campaign.
Harry Kane has shot to fame after a terrific season with Spurs, and his contribution to the side has ensured they can still finish as high as fifth thanks to his 20 league goals.
A worthy winner of the PFA Young Player of the Year, Kane also took his place in the Team of the Year alongside Diego Costa, something very few would have predicted at the beginning of the season.
Unsurprisingly after the season he has had, one which has seen him become the first Spurs man since Gary Lineker to reach 30 goals in all competitions, there is already rumours of a possible exit from White Hart Lane.
Reports last week suggested Manchester United were keen on signing the 21-year-old striker as they look to strengthen their squad in order for a title push next season, and could offer as much as £45m for the England youngster.
[ffc-gal cat=”manchester-united” no=”5″]
And although this may come as a tempting proposition, Kane must forget about a move this summer and focus on kicking off next season with Tottenham once again.
The club are sure to stand firm as they look to hold onto one of their star assets, and for the striker himself he is currently at the best place to continue his development as a Premier League footballer.
It shouldn’t be forgotten that this is Kane’s first proper season at the top level and he didn’t really get his chance in this campaign until November. The dreaded second season syndrome awaits him from August and in order to really prove himself as one of the top strikers in the country he has to deliver on a consistent basis once more.
It will certainly prove more difficult given the pressure on him to perform and he will now become a player defenders will be keeping an extra close eye on given his exploits this season; again making it more difficult for the young star.
But unlike those teams above Spurs, the club can guarantee him regular first-team football, and to have this at a club with European aspirations at such an early age is exactly what he needs.
We’ve seen plenty of examples of players who have moved on too quickly to Champions League sides, only to find their career stalling as they are offered limited opportunities on the pitch. And this is something that could happen to Kane were he to join United, particularly with the amount of options they have upfront.
A new contract would at Spurs would take care of any wage issues, and from then on he should focus on improving and helping Spurs to improve on this season’s points tally.
Playing on a weekly basis under Mauricio Pochettino will not only allow him to do this, but also give him the best chance at making the England squad for next summer’s European Championships.
Continue on this upward curve over the next two or three seasons, and then he can start thinking about a move to a bigger club where he can fulfil his aspirations of lifting trophies, and he’s certain to have plenty of offers.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
We’re seeing with Raheem Sterling the amount of negative press coming his way as his contract saga rumbles on, and Kane, as he is doing, has to ensure this sort of thing doesn’t happen with him.
He’s at a great club where the fans love him, and with the opportunity he has to play on a regular basis as well as compete in Europe once again next season, he would be foolish to leave Spurs at this early stage of his career.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger revealed last week that mercurial midfielder Andrey Arshavin will be leaving the club at the end of the season, but amid links with Borussia Dortmund playmaker Mario Gotze, isn’t it about time that in order to try and bridge the gap on those above them, that they splash out on a genuinely exciting name that could be the envy of the rest of Europe?
With four wins on the bounce in the Premier League against Swansea, Reading, West Brom and Norwich, four games which the club would always expected to have picked up at least 10 points from, Arsenal all of a sudden look guaranteed to make the top four again this season, with an easier run-in than both Chelsea and Tottenham between now and the end of the campaign. Should they go on to secure Champions League football for a 17th successive season now, it makes them a much more attractive proposition and better off financially than many initially feared was possible after the north London derby defeat in February at White Hart Lane.
[cat_link cat=”arsenal” type=”list”]
This near-death experience from a footballing perspective should serve as a cautionary reminder that Wenger needs to spend more in the market to have an impact at the latter stage of the term. The last time the club made a splash in such a fashion was the purchase of the 31-year-old Russia international back in January 2009, but a move for Gotze could prove to be a real signal of intent and a mark of the club’s ambition for the future; they haven’t shown too many of those lately.
It’s not a coincidence that reports that Arsenal have things such as a ‘£70m transfer war chest’ in the summer to spend happen to always come out around the same time that season ticket renewals are on the agenda after yet another disappointing season. Being treated to such inconsistent and frustrating fare for the highest ticket prices in Europe will only be furthered by the promise of something at the end of the rainbow, with many crying out for Wenger to finally invest heavily in the squad.
Having spent approximately £53m this season on the likes of Olivier Giroud, Lukas Podolski, Nacho Monreal and Santi Cazorla, but after the big money departures of both Alex Song and Robin van Persie to bigger clubs before the season began, that still just takes their net spend to around £9m. The needless penny-pinching ways have to stop if they are to make giant strides in terms of their league performance, otherwise they’ll simply continue to bang their heads against that glass ceiling to the top two.
The main problem that the club has faced in recent years has been not replacing departing players with new faces of the same quality – after Cesc Fabregas left, Mikel Arteta was bought, Giroud and Podolski were added to the squad to make up for van Persie’s exit, while Gervinho has done a ropey job of replacing Samir Nasri. The balance of the side is heavy in certain positions and light in other areas and needs addressing, but this flawed and constrictive approach has coincided with the club finding it more and more difficult to achieve their aims and compete at the top level. A move for Gotze this summer could change all of that.
The issue is whether Wenger, becoming increasingly zealot-like on the subject of Financial Fair Play, will dig deep into the club’s pockets and sanction such a deal. The one thing going in Arsenal’s favour is that for the first summer in the last four years, they don’t have a top player looking to leave to try and win silverware elsewhere, having been cherry-picked by vultures all too regularly. Jack Wilshere remains the crown jewel, and he may one day move elsewhere, but they’ve got him for the foreseeable future and it’s a sad indictment of the lack of potentially world-class players at their disposal.
Instead of treating this as something to be negative about in the long-term, though, it could be used as an opportunity to build from a position of strength, which is what they’ll be in if they make the top four. Arsenal remain an inconsistent beast, held back to some extent by the constrictive fiscal policy of the board, but on the topic of Gotze, given what he could bring to the side and his potential for the future, it’s a no-brainer.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Spending money is always fraught with risks, but after identifying such a talented player, if they manage to pluck out a Champions League qualification place in a season where so much has gone wrong for them, they should allow themselves this luxury; for a club obsessed with the cost of everything and the value of nothing, the fans at least deserve something to get excited about for a change.
For so long this season, Manchester City looked unstoppable under manager Pep Guardiola, but the last week has changed perceptions.
There is not much doubt in the Cityzens’ title bid considering that they have a 13-point lead at the top of the Premier League table with six games left to play, but three defeats on the trot have raised eyebrows.
City were eliminated from the Champions League at the quarter-final stage on Wednesday night by Liverpool 5-1 on aggregate.
Guardiola’s men were undone in 31 minutes at Anfield in the first leg last week due to goals from Mohamed Salah, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sadio Mane.
In the second leg at the Etihad Stadium, City had a sense of renewed hope when Gabriel Jesus scored inside the first two minutes, but Liverpool defended well and nabbed two away goals.
In between those outings, the North-West outfit squandered the chance to secure the league title due to a 3-2 defeat to neighbours Manchester United.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Bernardo Silva, who signed for the club last summer, was one of the more impressive players for City on the night, but he was unable to change the course of the game.
After the final whistle, the 23-year-old, who has struggled for regular game time this season, took to Twitter, and received a warm response from the fans.
Sometimes the best thing that can happen to you is failure. A kick up the arse is often the best remedy for under-performance. And under-performance is certainly what we’re seeing from Manchester City.
They’re like the kid at school who gets an A in his GCSEs, but in the first module of his A-Levels he gets an D.
It hurt, and it was unexpected, but that was the best thing that could happen under the circumstances. Because it was such a shock to his system it made him work hard, he knew then that he couldn’t just drift without trying and still get a good grade.
A disaster is sometimes the best medicine, but only when it doesn’t lead to all-out catastrophe. So long as you aren’t knocked out, you can come up off the mat and fight on.
And Manchester City are still fighting. Sort of.
They were under pressure after the Manchester derby. Liverpool were closing in on them for the final Champions League spot and given City’s form, it looked possible that they’d not even make the Champions League at all this time around.
But Liverpool have faltered and City have pushed on somewhat – even if they were lucky to beat Villa last time out.
[ad_pod id=’ffc-video-small’ align=’left’]
Yet they’re still under-performing. Even the last two wins have been poor from the Champions’ perspective. They were lucky to beat Villa – they were even lucky not to get beat. And they still have Spurs and Southampton to play. On current form as well as on motivation, you’d have to fancy the Europa League chasers over the deposed Champions.
Yet this might just be the shock to the system that Pellegrini’s men need. They’ve been poor all year, right from the start, but they were right in a title race up until fairly recently. They somehow managed to keep the pace with Chelsea up until New Year’s day when they were neck and neck, dead level.
They’ve since realised what our school kid realised, however. They realised they can’t just coast through a season and win the league at the end of it. There are fresher, better-performing teams who can win it instead. They’ve received some sort of shock, but if they finish in an automatic Champions League spot they won’t truly have learned their lesson.
Coming fourth would be that extra kick for City. It wouldn’t be an all-out disaster, they’d still finish in a Champions League spot. So their finances, prestige, and that all-important co-efficient rating shouldn’t be affected – unless they lose that too.
Coming second or third would be better of course, they wouldn’t have to qualify. But maybe in this case, after the disappointment of this season has sunk in, City will realise that they need to be ready right from the off in August.
And the best way to get City to do this is by forcing them to play two very important matches before their season actually kicks off in earnest.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
City have been guilty of coasting through this season. But if they finish fourth as punishment for their sin, they’ll have to be up and running early next season, and that’ll build momentum. And we’ve seen what City can do with they build momentum – they’re almost unstoppable when they’re on proper form.
So although it would be a huge disappointment for City to finish fourth – and they look like they might manage second or third at the moment – it might just be what they need to have a great season next time around.
A kick up the arse would do them the world of good. It won’t have Father Ted style repercussions, but it’ll help long term. Sometimes the best thing that can happen to you is failure.
Mario Gotze has hinted his long-term future may be away from Borussia Dortmund with Manchester United one of his preferred choices.
The 20-year-old is one of the hottest properties in German football and scored his fifth international goal for Germany in their 4-1 victory over Kazakhstan on Tuesday night. Gotze has been in impeccable form since returning from a January 2012 hip injury. With a rare combination of pace, creativity, and technical skill, the young winger has been attracting attention from Europe’s top clubs
The youngster has enjoyed another excellent season with Dortmund despite the fact that they are some distance behind champions-elect Bayern Munich and has netted 8 goals in 24 Bundesliga appearances.
Although happy in his present surroundings at the moment, the talented schemer is clearly keen on a move abroad in the future. He did sign a long-term contract with Dortmund last year, but seeing Shinji Kagawa leave for Manchester last year might persuade him to leave.
“Clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United are attractive, and playing in another top league would shape me and help me develop as a player,” he said.
“But I’m not thinking that far ahead at the moment. I’m happy in Germany and am delighted with the way things are going. Anything else is still a long way off.”
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Arsenal have contacted Atletico Madrid regarding a swoop for midfielder Saul Niguez, according to AS.
What’s the story?
The North London outfit need to be busy in the transfer window this summer, and their main priorities should be recruiting a new defender, defensive midfielder and goalkeeper.
Fans have been coming up with their own transfer lists on social media, but not many have suggested that the latest target is a realistic one.
According to AS, Saul has emerged as an option for manager Arsene Wenger, with the Spanish publication claiming that contact has been made between the two clubs.
The report states that the Gunners have had a close eye on the midfielder for a while, but they could struggle to get a deal done as the 23-year-old is happy at Atletico.
[ad_pod ]
It is also believed that the midfielder’s release clause is set at a staggering £130m, and he still has eight years left on his contract.
Is it a distant dream?
It would be a huge shock if Arsenal managed to pull off a deal given the financial hit that they would take in doing so.
There is no denying that Saul would boost the team given that he can provide plenty of options for the team in midfield.
This season, the Spaniard has played the majority of his games – 25 in fact – in a central midfield position.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
He has also, though, featured out wide on both the left and the right, as well as in a more advanced role in the final third.
If Arsenal fail to win the Europa League, then they are unlikely to qualify for the Champions League via the domestic route as they are 13 points behind the top four.
It would be difficult for the club to convince Saul to sign without securing a place in the elite competition.
England face Lithuania and Italy this week, and all of the build-up talk has centred around the squad picked by Roy Hodgson.
The English media has been doing what it does best, and has dissected Hodgson’s choices. Though to be fair, this has been much less vociferous than in recent years.
But this time, the key factor in this England side isn’t about personnel. This is the first squad in a long time where the team doesn’t pick itself, and that’s a good thing.
Some eyebrows were raised when Danny Ings and Charlie Austin were left out, but the team still includes Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane and Daniel Sturridge. England have plenty of options up front, and they can’t use them all.
In terms of quality the squad is pretty similar across the board, though. We could reignite the ‘is Rooney world class?’ debate, but really, he’s not as important to England as someone like Gareth Bale is to Wales. Rooney is the only player in the team that looks to be above the rest in any way, and although it might be better to have Rooney than to have Walcott or Lallana, for example, playing others alongside Kane or Sturridge wouldn’t weaken England all that much.
In the past, England’s problem was getting all their quality on to the pitch – there wasn’t always room for all of the best players – Gerrard and Lampard couldn’t both play, Scholes was played on the wing.
[ffc-gal cat=”premier-league” no=”5″]
Now the problem isn’t about quality, or even getting it onto the pitch, the problem now is about which system to play. Though one problem still remains: the media
Over the next few England games, the talk will start again and it will undoubtedly be about Hodgson’s team selection. Does he leave out Kane, does he leave out Sturridge. If Welbeck starts to fire for Arsenal, maybe they’ll call for him to get a place? Should Rooney play deeper?
But this is distracting. What Hodgson has the ability to do with this team – and I think he is probably unique among England managers in this regard – is tinker with it. England have the ability to play different systems for different games. If you expect a physical game, you play physical players, if you expect the counter, you use players who can deal with it, if you expect to be up against a slow defence, you use the pace in your team.
England have players who can fit into all of these systems, and it’s up to the manager to be sophisticated enough to recognise which systems will suit each game.
The last thing Hodgson needs is the back pages telling him which team he should pick.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
For England, the options are there, and if used wisely the team can qualify easily. But working with these different systems will help England even more in the long-term, too. Tournament football is all about playing horses for courses. It’s about beating the team in front of you, because if you don’t win, you don’t progress.
It’s not about which system is better overall, or even about which players are better – it’s about which system and which players will stifle the opposition’s strengths and exploit their weaknesses. And doing that doesn’t necessarily mean picking your ‘best’ XI, just the XI most suited to beating what’s in front of you.
Hodgson will have to pick a team for a system, not a system for a team. His formation shouldn’t be dictated by the ‘best’ players – but thankfully he doesn’t have any players who stand out as being that much better than the rest anyway.
Spanish giants Barcelona will make an audacious bid to sign Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany in the summer, according to the Sunday Mirror.
The La Liga leaders want the sign the City captain to replace club legend Carlos Puyol who is coming to the end of his illustrious career at the Nou Camp.
The 26 year old Belgian defender has arguably been City’s best player over the past two years, but a possible season without any silverware will have affected morale in the camp.
It would take an astronomical bid from Barcelona to lure City into any negotiations and it is unlikely that Kompany would force through a move away from the Etihad.
Chelsea’s hit and miss centre back David Luiz is also on the shortlist to replace Puyol at the Catalan club and the Brazilian stopper may be available after a slow season in the Premier League that has seen him fall down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Real Madrid are monitoring the situation of David De Gea as they look to freshen up their squad. The Los Blancos attempted to side the Spanish goal keeper in 2015 but the deal fell through at the last minute.
What’s the story?
David De Gea has been an extremely important player for Manchester United in the last five years and his stock has risen. He is arguably the best goalkeeper in the world and Real Madrid have been linked with him for years. MEN are reporting that the Spanish giants will attempt to sign him again this summer.
Madrid are also monitoring the situation of Antony Martial and Paul Pogba. According the the MEN, they have asked to be kept informed about the situation of these three players and are said to be willing to let Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric go the other way.
Madrid are aware of Man United admiration for these three players, who they have tried to sign before and are also aware of their need to bolster their midfield. Michael Carrick will be retiring this summer and Marouane Fellaini’s contract is up.
How big of a miss would De Gea be?
Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, Manchester United have struggled to challenge for trophies. A shining light through this period has been their goalkeeper.
De Gea ignored the early criticism he faced when he arrived at United and has gone on to become the most important members of the squad.
The Spaniard has saved United on a number of occasions and losing him would leave a huge hole which United will struggle to fill.
While second choice keeper Romero is an excellent keeper, he is not at the level of De Gea. The Spaniard is almost impossible to replace.
De Gea might be tempted to move to Madrid, where he is guaranteed Champions League football and trophies as well as return to his home city, Madrid. However, he was quoted in the Daily Express saying he will snub any offers from Madrid.
[ad_pod ]
Would a 3-way swap deal benefit United?
The news on MEN, suggests that Real Madrid will offer Bale, Modric and Kroos in exchange of De Gea, Pogba and Martial. Real Madrid would definitely get the better deal here.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
While Bale, Modric and Kroos would improve United’s midfield, the Red Devils would be losing three of the most influential and youngest players. Martial and Pogba are entering the peaks of their careers while Modric and Kroos are coming into the twilight of theirs.
Martial and Pogba have had mixed seasons at United but in glimpses have shown world class potential, something if nurtured could prove extremely successful in the long term for United.
Bale’s talent is undoubted but he has struggled with injuries since moving to Spain. A swap deal involving these players would only benefit Real Madrid and weaken United in the long term.