Barcelona are thought to have turned their transfer attention to Arsenal’s Thomas Vermaelen, and will make a move for him this summer according to The Daily Mail.
The Catalan giants are keen to bolster their backline, and had initially targeted AC Milan and Brazil centre half Thiago Silva.
However, with the Rossoneri asking for more than £30 million for the South American defender, Tito Vilanova’s men are considering other options.
Belgium international Vermaelen has emerged a surprise option for the Camp Nou giants, with his versatility of being able to play on the left or centre of defence and in a holding midfield role if necessary of appeal to the Spanish side.
Arsene Wenger will be keen to hold onto his vice-captain, and it is thought that the north London side would turn down any approach from Barcelona.
Spurs target Jan Vertonghen is also mentioned in the Spanish press as a possible target for Barcelona as they look for a long-term replacement for Carles Puyol, and as such Tottenham would do well to wrap up a deal for the Ajax man.
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With Charlie Adam signed, Liverpool ’s next high profile target is Stewart Downing . The England winger has made no secret of his desire to leave Aston Villa this summer and is expected to force a transfer by handing in a transfer request if Liverpool ’s advances continue to be knocked back. The proposed transfer has been met online by a group of whingeing Liverpool fans, many crying ’sign Mata, sign Mata’ or alternately stating that Downing is average at best, or simply not good enough. Such comments display the naïveté of some fans in terms of how they perceive the modern game.
What seems to escape the attention of these fans is that in January of this year Liverpool paid a club record £35m to sign Andy Carroll. Call me crazy but I believe this would suggest that Andy is seen as a key first team player for next season. One only need look at Liverpool’s last two games of last season, when Carroll, despite clearly not being fit, was chosen to play alongside Suarez as a striker ahead of the in-form Dirk Kuyt. Carroll is seen as first choice. As such Dalglish will be looking to construct a side to get the best from his £35m man.
To think that Kenny Dalglish gave the go-ahead on signing Carroll for £35m without realising that he needs good service borders on insulting the King’s knowledge of the game. We all know Andy’s main strengths, he has great physical presence and colossal heading ability. He gets less praise for his ability to pick a pass and he also has a decent touch, impressive attributes for such a big man. Carroll also has a ferocious shot, it is clear to see why, in this department, parallels with Alan Shearer have been drawn.
Carroll however, also has weaknesses. He could do with working on his ball retention and hold-up play, as he is often clumsy or wasteful when playing a simple pass. Also, for a man who to look at, appears at a glance to be something of a beast – Carroll could also improve on his strength.
Upon his signing I had noticed in his medical photos that his upper-body could do with a lot of work, he did not cut the figure of a toned, conditioned and muscular modern pro, but then he did have a reputation. Carroll is also not the quickest, which diminishes our ability to thread through-balls to Carroll as a viable, steady supply-source of goal-scoring chances.
This is precisely the problem in the debate over Mata that so many fans seem to miss. Liverpool need someone who can deliver a cross. This is not Mata’s style. He is a great little player but a gamble in terms of getting the best from Carroll. Mata is a typical Spanish schemer, playing in a floating role on the left, looking to playing quick one-twos, or to pick an incisive through ball. Mata plays most of his football in a more central area of the pitch, drifting in on the left side of a front three. The same people who clamour for Mata would also likely state that Liverpool need width. Mata would simply not provide the desired width we need.
Whilst the thought of Mata and Suarez linking up on the left, playing intricate, incisive football on the deck is great in theory, such a system would not suit big Andy, who thrives on good crosses (or indeed even average ones. Man City anyone?). Make no mistake – next season we will be looking to get crosses to him. Whilst Mata does not provide traditional, touchline-hugging, by-line-driving width, Downing certainly does.
It is the width offered by Stewart Downing which puts him ahead of Mata as a priority signing for Liverpool. The left-footer whipped in more crosses in open play than any player in the Premier League last season, 135 in total. According to Opta stats, this is more than any other player has accumulated in a season in the last three campaigns. Very impressive. We are all aware too that Downing is not overly elaborate and could hardly be described as a ‘flair’ player, but then the same can be said for the likes of Antonio Valencia at Man Utd, who was widely praised for his simplicity on the ball at the tail end of last season (rightly so in my opinion, he rarely loses the ball).
Downing is not a ‘one-trick pony’ as many lazily suggest – some, with dreams of comedy superstardom have described him as a ‘no-trick pony’. Again, this is lazy – if not just downright idiotic. As we can see, Downing’s main ‘trick’ is offering width and providing crosses, but he is also capable of scoring goals as well as creating them (as we found out to our detriment) – eight in total last season. Downing can also pick a pass as well as deliver crosses. Strikers with pace, such as Gabriel Agbonlahor, and more recently Darren Bent have both benefited from Downing’s ability to split a defence over the last few years. Were it not for Bent’s famed profligacy in front of goal, and inability to stay onside, Downing may have claimed many more than the nine assists he contributed last season.
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Downing also displayed his versatility when playing on the right-wing last year, showing that he can cut inside and create havoc in such a role. Were Kenny to employ a 4-3-3 next season. Suarez would naturally play on the left, where he creates so much trouble for club and country. As such, were Mata to sign where would he fit exactly? He is untested on the right. Downing provides better options in this regard – added to this, Downing has also shown he can still provide crosses and width when playing on the right if the system is a 4-4-2. Something Mata cannot provide from either side.
Which brings me back to Andy Carroll.
I wish we weren’t building a side around Carroll but lets face it, we are. His price tag makes him almost undroppable. It is for this reason I feel that, barring injury to Carroll we will employ a 4-4-2 next year. In every game Carroll played last season, we utilised this formation. That Downing is a desired signing theoretically re-enforces this view.
Parallels with Dalglish’s signing of Alan Shearer can be drawn here. Dalglish recognised that Jason Wilcox and Stuart Ripley could provide ammo for Shearer in what turned out to be a masterstroke. Neither player was flash or full of tricks, but without these two it is hard to see how Shearer would have scored such an alarming amount of goals. Width was a crucial factor in getting the best out of Big Shearer – the same goes for Carroll.
What Blackburn under Dalglish did not have was creativity from the centre. Their title-winning side contained David Batty and Tim Sherwood in central midfield. Whilst both were good players, neither possessed great vision, or the ability to deliver a defence-splitting pass. This was not essential however, as neither Shearer or Sutton possessed great pace. Their title win was largely based on a strategy of bombarding the opposition with crosses, they played to their strengths.
But Blackburn did not have a Luis Suarez.
In Gerrard and Adam, Liverpool have players capable of releasing Suarez with quality through balls – both can pick a telling, defence-splitting pass. Liverpool have the quality to be creative in the central areas, many would argue that Aquilani or Meireles could also provide such options. I agree. We are not lacking in creativity in central areas, which is what Mata would provide us with more of.
Mata can pick a pass, but then so can Downing. Mata can score goals, but then again so can Downing. Mata can drift into central areas, but then isn’t this the type of narrow football we have been looking to get away from? Creativity in central areas is not what we are looking for – it is what we already have. It is the predictability of this style which has led to the clamour for width in the fist place.
Width is where we have been lacking. As such, Downing can give us the added option of natural width which we so desire. Mata cannot.
Downing would give us the ability to drag and pull defences apart, to keep them guessing where the next threat is coming from – making as dangerous from wide areas as we are from central midfield. As all Liverpool fans know, this is something we have lacked badly for years. Dalglish is looking for a player that provide such width, a player who can get the best from both Carroll and Suarez.
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This is why Mata, however talented, is simply not what we are looking for..… Perhaps in some alternate reality where we have Suarez and Sergio Aguero up front it makes perfect sense. But not in this reality.
In this reality it’s £35m worth of 6ft 3” of Geordie bruiser we’ve got, and Dalglish isn‘t afraid to use what he has.
In addition to chasing Downing, the signing of Charlie Adam further demonstrates the importance that Dalglish has placed on getting good service to Carroll. In Adam’s case – particularly in regard to set-pieces. Carroll in particular is going to be salivating over those patented Charlie Adam ‘corners from hell’.
Even the greatest sceptic must admit that the thought of Downing providing the ammo for Carroll from the flanks next season, in addition to Adam’s delivery from set-pieces – is a very juicy thought indeed!
Read more Barry Henderson’s articles at Live4Liverpool
Manchester United were utterly dominant at Old Trafford today as they eased past Sunderland 2-0 to keep themselves at the top of the Premier League table. Sir Alex Ferguson’s men were in complete control from start to finish, with Dimitar Berbatov planting home a header from Wayne Rooney’s cross with just five minutes on the clock.
United were slicing Sunderland open with ease and looked like scoring with almost every attack as Berbatov and then Anderson hit the woodwork later in the first half. Berbatov himself made the points safe within the hour, with the Bulgarian striker bagging his second of the match courtesy of a deflected effort. The result puts United two points ahead of City with two games in hand, but perhaps more importantly five and six points ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea respectively, who meet at The Emirates Stadium tomorrow.
So what five things did we learn about Man United today?
Former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira has stressed the importance of keeping Robin van Persie at the Emirates Stadium.
The Netherlands international is in the last year of his contract at the north London club, and is thought to be stalling on signing a new contract.
With Vieira’s new side Manchester City waiting in the wings and eager to bring the prolific forward to the Etihad Stadium, the Frenchman has admitted that losing their captain would be a sickening blow for Arsenal.
“I think losing Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas last year was a big shock for Arsenal – and if they lose Robin this year, it will be a trauma,” he told Mirror Football.
“When Samir and Cesc left, you could say, ‘OK, but we still have Van Persie and Jack Wilshere at the club.’
“But if Robin leaves, that means next year it may be Theo Walcott, next year it’s Wilshere, and it’s going to be difficult for Arsenal to keep their top players.
“I’m quite surprised they have waited until he has only a year left on his contract to talk to him. It’s difficult to find players of Robin’s quality anywhere in the world with only a year left – especially strikers who can score 34 goals in a season. It’s difficult to understand.
“Robin wants to win trophies – and Arsenal have to prove he can do it with them.
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“We know that Robin loves Arsenal. That is not the question – the real question is how Arsene Wenger will convince Robin they can win trophies,” he concluded.
Rangers’ Champions League hopes have been thrown into disarray after the Scottish champions were beaten 1-0 in qualifying by Malmo FF.The first leg of their qualifying tie at Ibrox on Tuesday was meant to be smooth sailing for Ally McCoist’s men, but an 18th-minute strike from Daniel Larsson was enough to hand the Swedes an unlikely triumph.
The loss continues Rangers’ uneasy start to their overall campaign, after they were forced to come from behind in their Scottish Premier League opener against Hearts to force a draw.
The result means the SPL title holders must score at least once in the second leg next Wednesday at Malmo’s Swedbank Stadion, to avoid an embarrassing pre-group stage exit from Europe’s elite football competition.
Last season’s Europa League quarter-finalists Dynamo Kiev were beaten 2-0 by Russian side Rubin Kazan in Ukraine.
A sixth-minute opener to Alan Kasaev gave the visitors the ascendancy, before Bibras Natkho’s penalty midway through the second half sealed a commanding victory for the Russian club.
Racing Genk pulled off a stunning come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Partizan Belgrade at their Cristal Arena home.
The Belgians were in strife when South African defender Anele Ngongca was shown a red card just past the half-hour mark.
But before the first goal, the sides were both down to 10 when Partizan’s Stefan Babovic was shown his marching orders also in the 48th minute.
Despite their setback, Partizan led on 65 minutes through a Nemanja Tomic goal, which seemingly sparked the hosts into action.
An equaliser within five minutes from the penalty spot, converted by Jelle Vossen, gave the Belgians hope of a result, before Marvin Ogunjimi struck the winner deep into injury time to give Genk the lead heading into a second leg in Serbia.
In other results, Poland’s Wisla Krakow beat Lovech 2-1 in Bulgaria, BATE Borisov, a Belarusian club, held Ekranas to a scoreless draw in Lithuania, Georgian side Zestafoni earned a 1-1 draw at home to Sturm Graz, APOEL’s battle with Slovan Bratislava ended 0-0 while a Marc Janko brace gave FC Twente a 2-0 triumph over Romanian side Vaslui.
Joleon Lescott has admitted he may need to leave Manchester City to preserve his England place.
The former Everton man has failed to assert himself at Eastlands, with City boss Roberto Mancini favouring Vincent Kompany and Kolo Toure ahead of him.
He has often been deployed in the left-back position when he has played, but Mancini is now favouring Belgian teenager Dedryck Boyata in this role instead.
With the January transfer window set to open in less than a month, Lescott has admitted he may be forced to seek regular first team football elsewhere.
Speaking about his situation, he said: "I'm not happy with the situation. I don't enjoy sitting on the bench, and sometimes not even making the bench."
Fuelling the rumours about a possible move, he stressed: "That's down to myself and the club. The club might say 'If there's a chance to play, go and play' and, if not, I will have to stay here."
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18-year-old Netherlands international Matthijs de Ligt impressed in his nation’s 3-0 friendly win against Portugal on Monday night, and Manchester United fans have demanded their club signs the talented teenager.
The Ajax centre-back started in a back three alongside Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Bournemouth’s Nathan Ake against the Euro 2016 winners, and while he looked comfortable defensively, in possession and had former Red Devil Cristiano Ronaldo in his back pocket for much of the game, he also popped up with two assists at the other end of the pitch, too.
Jose Mourinho looks likely to strengthen his defensive options this summer – the Old Trafford faithful also want him to sign Leicester City and England’s Harry Maguire – and the central defender may have now come on to his radar.
Man United supporters were quick to have their say on the youngster’s display via social media, and while one said “pay whatever it takes and get us De Ligt”, another simply said “sign him now”.
Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…
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Only a decade old, now is the time for MK Dons to really kick-on. Everything seems in place for them to do so; a state of the art stadium, ambitious chairman, talented manager and a squad more than capable of promotion to the Championship this season.
Since promotion to League One in 2008, the Dons have secured a play-off place three times without making the final. Their first season back in England’s third tier was the closest they got, finishing just two points outside an automatic promotion spot before losing to Scunthorpe over two legs.
The greatest day in the club’s history until the start of this season was winning the Football League Trophy in 2008. A 2-0 victory of Grimsby at Wembley gave the club it’s first ever bit of silverware. Fast forward six or so years and the club are well on course for Championship promotion for the first time.
It has been a season to remember for MK Dons, and we’re not even half way through it. Their 4-0 victory over Man Utd in August was a day many of the MK faithful will never forget. Although it wasn’t the strongest United side, they still scored four goals against one of the Premier League’s best keepers in David de Gea.
Their league form has been impressive as well, as they currently sit in third position, only two points off top spot with a game in hand. The 1-0 win at Sheffield United in the club’s last league game stretched their unbeaten run to nine League One matches, and manager Karl Robinson looks to have finally assembled a squad full of quality at this level with the right mixture of youth and experience.
Dele Alli has been the stand out performer for the Dons, scoring nine league goals and featuring regularly at just 18-years-old. The wonderkid usually plays as a box-to-box midfielder but can also take up a more attacking role. He has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs and MK Dons will certainly have a tough time keeping hold of him.
On-loan striking duo Benik Afobe and Will Grigg have impressed up-front. Afobe, who is on-loan from Arsenal, has scored 18 goals in 25 matches, nine of which have come in the league. This is even more impressive considering nearly half his appearance have been off the bench. His strength and finishing abilities have allowed him to be a key man so far this season.
Grigg, on-loan from Brentford, has also chipped in with five goals, but is used more as a defensive forward who can hold up play well.
Perhaps Karl Robinson’s smartest buy was former Coventry captain Carl Baker on a free. The 31-year-old adds much needed experience in midfield along with his influential qualities. He recently won the League One player of the month award for November and will hope to continue his impressive performances for the rest of the season.
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With a number of players in good form and a squad full of talent, despite all the close calls in the past this season seems to be the one for MK Dons to finally reach new heights.
The signing of Robin van Persie should have given Alex Ferguson a new lease of life for the game, a new-found motivation to go and do it all again next summer. Talk of bargain signings from Spain continue to fill the air as the best moves of 2012, but no one can deny that £24 million for the best striker in England is a remarkable piece of business. Even if van Persie is pushing towards the age of 30, the Dutchman’s talent is enough to make any manager rethink the idea of retirement.
So why not go for another round next summer? Bild recently reported that Manchester United were after Borussia Dortmund’s Robert Lewandowski, stating that the Polish striker was keen to move to the Premier League for a fee just over 22 million euros. And why not? The are very few strikers in Europe who are better than Lewandowski. Few have managed to create a hybrid of the traditional, tall no 9 and the dynamic modern equivalent.
Does the Dortmund striker signal a quick-fire address to van Persie’s age, or is there something else in there?
Dortmund are in a similar state to Arsenal of last year, whereby their most valuable forward is nearing the end of his contract and the club are in a position where they may need to sell. You can bet the German champions will do everything in their power to keep hold of one of their assets, and the reported wages of £5 million a year that United are willing to offer should quite easily fall into their comfort zone.
If Dortmund go all the way in the Champions League—and they’re more than good enough to do so—then it may be a case that Lewandowski opts to stay. Even if the club do not retain their Bundesliga title this season, the loyalty of their other stars would signal a more than ferocious attack on the title next season. Bayern Munich may have the financial means to outmuscle Dortmund, but Jurgen Klopp’s side won’t be put down by the reinvigorated powers in the south of the country.
So how would Lewandowski fit in at Old Trafford? How does one of the Bundesliga’s most impressive forwards fit into a group of strikers who Alex Ferguson claimed were on par with his 1999 treble-winning squad? Javier Hernandez has already spoken out about his desire to leave should first-team opportunities remain limited in the future and the signing of Shinji Kagawa last summer gives the team an option of playing just one striker in attack. Ferguson has done so a few times this season, notably when the pressure was off, but how do you leave van Persie out of your starting XI for an extended period of time—even for Lewandowski?
What about Wayne Rooney? The idea of letting Rooney go would be more of a blow to the club from a symbolic perspective rather than for football reasons. Rooney is yet to fulfil the potential he had and become one of Europe’s finest attackers, while his inconsistencies, coupled with the presence of van Persie, means it’s not all that difficult to leave him on the bench.
Regardless of form and where the level of his talents may be in two or three years time, Rooney is a name who would bring in a royal fee from any number of the growing powers around Europe. Lewandowski is younger and can only continue to get better—as mentioned, there are few strikers in Europe who play the role as well and importantly as he does—so the prospect of swapping one for the other hardly seems catastrophic from a footballing perspective.
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But the real concern for United remains the other areas in the squad, notably defence and the centre of midfield. On one hand, you simply can’t pass up the opportunity to sign Lewandowski for the rumoured price, but those problem areas in the squad are unlikely to heal themselves. Maybe the manager has big plans for Nick Powell in the near future, maybe Phil Jones will convert to midfield and become the all-action defensive player the team needs. Maybe Rooney’s known versatility will mean he stays on at the club and fills a role elsewhere in the squad. He’s capable of scoring 30 goals a season, but how sure can the club be of that every year? He can play the wide positions and even in midfield, however a role on the flanks will limit the productivity he can bring from a central position.
For all the talk of where Lewandowski may fit and whether Rooney’s future at the club is certain, it may simply be that Alex Ferguson is loading the deck for one last charge on the Champions League. A Premier League and European double would undoubtedly be the grandest way to exit the game, and who can really complain when a squad has the most fearsome attack in English football?
Newcastle United fans want the anniversary of signing Rafael Benitez to be a national holiday, after his side thrashed Southampton on Saturday.
The Toon Army are now 13th in the Premier League table, five points clear of relegation. Southampton were completely outplayed and outfought on Saturday, as goals from Kenedy and Matt Ritchie secured an emphatic win for the Magpies.
Sunday marked the two-year anniversary of Rafael Benitez taking over at the club, and needless to say the fans just can’t get enough of Rafa.
Benitez has an exceptional knack of connecting with fans, and the relationship he forged with fans at Liverpool is being replicated on Tyneside.
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The Spaniard was relegated upon arrival, and brought the team back up in style at the first time of asking. Despite clashes with the board over the lack of transfer dealings, Benitez seems content on Tyneside and has shown no clear signs to ditch the club.
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Now, with another six pointer to come at the end of the month vs. Huddersfield, Newcastle could find themselves clear of the relegation scrap going into the final months of the season. In Newcastle fans’ minds, there’s only one man to thank.
Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…