Jonas Olsson is expected to end speculation on a possible move away from the Hawthorns after entering contract negotiations with Baggies Sporting and Technical director Dan Ashworth.
The Swedish defender announced his intentions of leaving West Brom in the summer, and was linked to several other clubs including Everton, Fulham and Galatasaray. A £4million move to Tottenham seemed most likely however, until Harry Redknapp’s departure from White Hart Lane.
Now the player’s contract is up at the end of this season, and the club’s management are keen for him to renew his current deal. This Wednesday, Olsson’s agent Martin Dahlin and Dan Ashworth opened discussions on a new contract at the club’s training ground.
Baggies Boss Steve Clarke said: “Jonas’ discussions are ongoing. The fact that his agent was here tells you that.
“In the matches he has played since I have been here, Jonas has been terrific. The contract talks certainly haven’t been playing on his mind.”
Goalkeeper Ben Foster had similar praise for the Swede: “It’s people like Jonas we need to be keeping. He is such an important part of our team.”
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The contract talks are by no means a done deal however, with Galatasaray and Atletico Madrid expressing their interest in luring the centre back away from the Premier League.
Two weeks ago the situation looked as dark as ever at Ipswich and it looked like Paul Jewell had to do something radical to turn things around.
It was obvious that the Liverpudlian manager wouldn’t last until January if the results didn’t start to improve and I came to the logical conclusion that Jewell had two options; either rebuild the team with loans and free transfers or make radical changes to his tactics.
The other conclusion I came to was that loan signings and free transfers were not the long-term solution but it seems like the 48-year-old Ipswich boss feels otherwise.
The previous loan signings of Giovanni Dos Santos, Keith Andrews and Jimmy Bullard were all useful in the short-term but did not help the club in the long-term. If there are bigger problems at the club then loan signings aren’t the solution.
The same applies with free transfers, normally there is no problem with picking up a player out of contract but if a player has waited until October to find a club then there is good reason to be skeptical.
You have to think; if this player loves playing football and has a lot of talent then why has he sat around for months waiting for a club to sign him?
The answer is that the player is waiting for a club like Ipswich to start struggling so he can exploit them. As soon as a manager like Jewell is desperate, he will give the player whatever wages he can in an attempt to keep his job. It is obvious that Reo-Coker has played his cards well and he has secured himself a contract that lasts only until January. This means that the midfielder keeps his options open and has nothing stopping him from moving on to better things later in the season.
I pointed out the issues with these signings two weeks ago and since then Jewell has signed an additional four loan players and signed Nigel Reo-Coker on a free transfer.
On paper it looks like great news for Ipswich as the club can now put names like DJ Campbell, Danny Higginbotham, Richie Wellens, Bilel Mohsni and Reo-Coker on their team sheet.
However, any Ipswich fan will know all too well you don’t win football matches with just a good team on paper. In fact the names are almost the least important part of a successful team. Everything needs to be perfect, from the tactics to the harmony within the squad and only once those are right can the club start to think about promotion.
Ipswich have started every season with relatively big names by Championship standards but they have struggled to even bring the club a mid table finish because they only ever have the names and they forget what else is needed.
So whilst these new loans and free transfers may improve results temporarily and bring the team out of the relegation zone they won’t help Ipswich avoid their usual mid table finish. If Ipswich want to break free from mid table obscurity then they need to change their philosophy and come into games with a different approach tactically.
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Jewell has done a decent job in the transfer market and he has secured some great signings without spending as much as previous managers like Roy Keane did. The former Wigan man clearly has a good eye for bargains and this is without doubt his strongest attribute as a manager.
Unfortunately the Ipswich manager hasn’t had much success with any other part of the job as the team have always been a step behind their opposition tactically and are figured out too easily once the season gets going. If Ipswich are to improve then they have to look at becoming more tactically astute rather than changing their personnel.
Sunderland centre back Carlos Cuellar is adamant that he is in peak physical condition for the Black Cats’ upcoming fixtures.
The former Aston Villa star arrived at the Stadium of Light on a free transfer this summer and has been keen to make his mark.
The 31-year-old was all too aware of the frustrations of being away from the limelight of Premier League football, and is keen to use his chance to prove his quality.
The Spaniard started off the season in fine form, before suffering an injury for two games prior to returning last time out, to taste his first defeat in red and white at the hands of Manchester City.
Cuellar was aware that he made a shaky return against the champions, but is keen to make amends on derby day.
It is clear that the international break arrived at an ideal time for the defender as it gave him a chance to boost his fitness levels.
The importance of giving a good showing for the fans this Sunday is not lost on Cuellar, with it being his first Tyne-Wear derby.
Sunderland’s latest defensive acquisition was ready to state his ambition to impress against Newcastle, telling the Shields Gazette, “This is a good opportunity for me, it’s a derby game.
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“We’ve had the opportunity to have a break, to relax and prepare for the game on Sunday.”
This is a clear illustration that confidence is high in the Sunderland camp ahead of their 1.30 match up with the Magpies. They seemingly have good reason too, as prior to their defeat to the current Premier League champions, they had a five match unbeaten start to the season.
In modern culture the only truly cherished anchorman is Will Ferrell. On the football pitch, strikers grab the headlines, wingers dazzle the crowds and even defenders evoke a manly roar from supporters when they put their body on the line.
What about the defensive midfielder? Those devoted few whose sole function is regain possession while resisting the urge to flock forward. Even since the departure of Rafa ‘two holding midfielders’ Benitez and Claude ‘big tackle’ Makelele, the Premier League has favoured the Namby Pamby ball-retention footballers such as Joe Allen and Leon Britton.
No more I say, sure we have Scott Parker and Lucas but both appear to be rapidly disintegrating on the sidelines. Plus, I think Liverpool fans would forget their Brazilian lynchpin pretty quickly if Xabi Alonso or Javier Mascherano ever returned to Anfield. Nevertheless I have decided to compose my top ten defensive barricades that I think deserve praise in print, even if they rarely receive it from the stands.
Click on Sandro below to start the countdown
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Join me on Twitter @theunusedsub
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The Premier League can often be the cruelest of mistresses and as both Tottenham Hotspur and Andre Villas-Boas know only too well, it doesn’t care much for mistakes and misfortune.
A win against Arsenal on Saturday in the North London derby, could have seen the Lilywhites haul themselves back to within a win away from fourth, open up a four point gap over their rivals and give themselves a springboard to finally turn their disappointing run of form around.
Instead, a chastising 5-2 defeat at the hands of Arsene Wenger’s men awaited and despite going 1-0 up courtesy of Emmanuel Adebayor’s prodded effort, the big Togolese striker proceeded to leave both his team and most poignantly his manager, in a real hole of concern.
Of course, a three-match ban isn’t particularly welcome at any point of the season, but you can’t escape the feeling that Adebayor’s mindless lunge on Santi Cazorla couldn’t have come at a more crucial point in the season for Tottenham.
Make no mistake about it, the upcoming home games against West Ham United and Liverpool, followed by the trip to West London for the tie with Fulham, represent a make or break moment for Andre Villas-Boas’ Spurs side.
Should they loose to Sam Allardyce’s Hammers side next Sunday, the league table might not paint a very pretty picture at all. A run of results which is by no means beyond the realms of reality, could see Spurs sit tenth come this time next week, with the potential for a nine point gap between themselves and Champions League qualification to emerge.
And given the pressure that is slowly beginning to mount on Andre Villas-Boas, having the term ‘must-win game’ shoved down his throat is hardly going to help. But unfortunately, the inescapable reality is that the West Ham game is a must win tie for Spurs.
No one can deny that the Portuguese has had some relatively torrid working conditions that have contributed to his side’s difficult start to the Premier League season. The injuries that the likes of Younes Kaboul, Scott Parker, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Mousa Dembele and until recently Emmanuel Adebayor have picked up, hardly constitute the loss of squad players. That’s more or less five first team players that Villas-Boas has been deprived a consistent use of, let alone the prospect of the quintet lining up in the same XI together.
Furthermore, the failures of chairman Daniel Levy within the summer transfer window are hardly some urban myth, either. Villas-Boas has been left with mish-mash squad uncomfortable in fitting in with the brand of football he was brought to the club to introduce, courtesy of a needless game of transfer brinkmanship which has served to do nothing but balance the books and weaken the team.
Unfortunately for the former Porto boss, sympathy is an emotion that remains difficult to find within the Premier League. The term ‘results based business’ sounds more at home in a Martin Scorsese film than it does within the realms of English football, although league tables and history books don’t look back on circumstance. Villas-Boas has to find a way to get his side winning games through whatever means necessary.
If Spurs fail to win against both West Ham and Liverpool, which considering how poor their home form has appeared is hardly out of the question, then both Villas-Boas and his side are in big trouble. Regardless of whether you’ve warmed to him, feel sorry for him, despise him or long for something else, the omens most certainly wouldn’t look good should results go against him in the next three games. Games which on paper, his side are more than capable of winning.
Such has been the inconsistency that the teams around Tottenham have shown in recent weeks, a run of three straight wins could see them propelled straight back into race for fourth, with the perfect platform to push on towards the busy festive period. But they’ve got to come through the next couple of weeks.
It’s time for Villas-Boas to make the sort of tough calls and cut throat decisions in which careers are defined and seasons are shaped. In the future, there is no reason why he can’t try and cultivate this Spurs side towards the 4-3-3 remit in which he was seemingly brought in to cultivate. But unless he gets through the next few games, he might not have a chance to try and rectify things in the January window, let alone the near future.
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He has to be ruthless and he has to make sacrifices. Michael Dawson might not be the sort of defender that offers a long-term solution to a possession-based way of playing. But he’s a fighter, a thoroughbred and he’s surely the sort of man you want in the trenches when West Ham come calling this weekend. Worry about playing the ball out from the back when the squad has recuperated from injuries – not during a set of make or break fixtures.
Again, Emmanuel Adebayor’s moment of madness has left Villas-Boas in the mire up in the striking department. But now isn’t the time to persevere with playing Jermain Defoe in an ineffectual role up front on his own. Go 4-4-2, play Dempsey alongside him as he did in the second half against QPR and go for the jugular. Of course it’s not an ideal world and it’s not building the vision that Villas-Boas clearly craves for the club – but unless they start picking up performances, he might not get a chance to build for anything.
Emmanuel Adebayor’s suspension represents simply the latest hindrance in the perpetual environment of turbulence of which Andre Villas-Boas has had to work in since coming to the club. But instead of looking into the future, he has to try and mould a team for the present, starting with this weekend’s fixture against West Ham.
Is the West Ham game a must win fixture? How would you set Spurs up without the suspended Emmanuel Adebayor? Join me on Twitter and tell me what you think.
Everton and Liverpool FC are set to enter the race to sign young England international goalkeeper Jack Butland from Birmingham City in January, the Daily Star reports.
The motivation behind David Moyes’ intention to sign the young keeper is his desire to add competition for incumbent Toffees stopper Tim Howard.
The American has been at Goodison Park since initially arriving on loan from Manchester United in 2006. Howard then signed in 2007 for £3million, going on to make 214 appearances in the Premier League as an Evertonian. With his last clean sheet back on 22nd September against Swansea, Moyes feels that healthy competition is needed between the sticks at Goodison.
Meanwhile, news of Liverpool’s interest could spell the end of Pepe Reina’s reign in goal at Anfield. The Spanish keeper missed a portion of the season after a hamstring injury banished him to the sidelines. Liverpool’s No. 2, Brad Jones, then failed to impress Brendan Rodgers.
With Arsenal being a possible location for Reina – as reported by the Daily Mail – Butland could be a likely No. 1 starter for the Merseyside club. But with sources noting that Rodgers has faith in Reina, the young England keeper could just be a viable long-term option.
Birmingham manager Lee Clark isn’t keen on losing his most prized possession, although the allure of potential financial relief from Butland’s sale might be too tempting for the cash-strapped Blues to turn down.
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The youngster has starred for the Under-21s – as well as Team GB during the Olympics – and went onto make his senior England team debut in August as part of Roy Hodgson’s experimental side which faced Italy.
Swansea will be hoping they can secure a route back to winning ways on Sunday, but they won’t have it easy against the comfortable table toppers Manchester United.
The Swans have suffered back to back defeats to halt their rise up the Premier League table under Michael Laudrup.
There is positive news for them in the Capital One Cup as they relish a two legged tie with Chelsea in the semi-final of the competition in January.
They are currently perched in mid table but they are surprisingly still within sight of the top four and will be aware that a productive Christmas programme could put them in European contention.
United arrive to South Wales in ominous form and will be supremely confident that their great run of form will continue at the Liberty stadium.
Sir Alex Ferguson have secured the maximum points available to them in their last five league outings and he will see no reason why his side can’t extend that run to six wins in six games.
Man United have built their success on their immense firepower scoring a hefty 43 goals already and only Everton and Norwich have kept them at bay.
Swansea welcome back first choice goalkeeper and Dutch International Michel Vorm to the fold with the keeper being out since October. Pablo Hernandez is also set to return after shaking off a calf strain, and Angel Rangel can make it for this one as well. Neil Taylor is the only long term absentee.
Manchester United could have the luxury of welcoming back captain Nemanja Vidic into the starting XI. Rafael is also expected to return after being rested for Sunderland nursing a hamstring issue. Kagawa is also back in training.
15 different players have found the net for Manchester United in the Premier League this season; more than any other side. Swansea will know that they will have to neutralise threats all over the pitch if they are to get a result here.
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Prediction: Swansea 2-3 Manchester United
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Last week, Brendan Rodgers announced his ambitions for the season. I don’t know too many Liverpool fans, but I was surprised to say the least when the Northern Irishman told reporters that he is aiming for a top two Premier League finish. Perhaps it’s a case of “reach for the stars and you’ll hit the moon”, some Rodgers Rhetoric to spur on his players, but either way I think challenging Chelsea and the two Manchester clubs to a place in the top three is a rather overzealous prediction.
Before the defeat to Aston Villa at the weekend, there was a general rallying cry from the Liverpool players, most notably Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique, stating that they still intend to be a part of the Champions League race despite their poor start to the season. But is a top four, let alone a top two finish really achievable at Anfield?
Looking at the table, The Reds are currently in 12th place, although they were 10th before their home defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday. As Alan Hansen often says, “The table doesn’t lie”, and that couldn’t be truer at any given moment for Liverpool than right now. Presently seven points off fourth place and seven points safe from the relegation zone, with a goal difference of exactly zero, the club’s average start to the season is fairly represented in the league table. The fact that Liverpool are yet to spend any time in the top six speaks also speaks volumes.
But it has been a difficult start to the year for Liverpool, with a great change behind the scenes, not to mention a vast amount of deadwood being shifted out of the back door in the summer. Damien Comolli has unbelievably defended the signings he made whilst serving as the club’s Director of Football, despite the fact the vast majority of them have been moved on or are well known at Anfield as constant underachievers, such as Stewart “no goals and no assists” Downing, who has now been told he can leave just 18 months after being bought from Aston Villa for £20million. Rodgers has been suffering from Liverpool’s spending binge hangover, and has Jordan Henderson and Joe Cole weighing the club down in addition to the soon-to-be-axed Downing.
But January could change all that, should money be available as Rodgers has insinuated throughout the course of the season. There’s a chance one of the clubs in dire straits at the bottom of the table could pick up some of the Anfield rejects – Rodgers probably goes to bed dreaming that Harry Redknapp will take Joe Cole off his hands, and has written to Santa begging him for a solution to the Andy Carroll situation for Christmas, perhaps by taking him to the north pole and retrain him as an elf – but if Liverpool stand any chance of getting into the top four they desperately need a striker.
Some of the names in the hat include Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Daniel Sturridge and Theo Walcott, then again any transfer rumour involving a striker and a fee lower than £12million tends to throw in Liverpool as a club that has “shown an interest”. But the most important factor should be ability to score goals. Although Luis Suarez is a formidable footballer who shows moments of genius on the pitch, and his efforts have carried the team at times, his finishing is by far the weakest part to his game. According to OPTA, the Uruguayan international has a shot accuracy of just 39%, and has missed eight clear cut chances already this season – two more than he’s scored. The fact that Liverpool have failed to score twice or more in all but three of their Premier League fixtures this year is no coincidence.
But a striker alone is by far the least of Liverpool’s problems in challenging the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal and Everton for the final Champions League position. Rodgers is bringing a lot of youth prospects through to the first team and perhaps the team’s inability to push over the finish is in some part due to their lack of experience. The Reds have drawn seven times, often impressing for the first twenty minutes before letting the game slip from their early domination. Drawing was regarded as a problem last year, but considering Kenny Dalgish finished the season with ten draws, many of them being at home, Liverpool look set to exceed that record.
Down the other end of the pitch, Jose Reina’s lapse in form has been well documented. Youtube is now filled with videos dedicated to the Spaniard’s howlers, and his save ratio of 76% is less than you’d expect from a Goalkeeper regarded as one of the best in the league. Similarly, especially at the start of the season, the backline have struggled with Rodgers’ passing philosophy, and although the Reds now have an average of 59% possession per game, their defenders have often been caught trying to play cute balls instead of clearing into row Z.
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So, are these problems Liverpool can overcome? Can they make it into the Champions League? My simple answer is… No. Quite honestly, the team hasn’t improved since last season when they finished eighth in the table. However, I believe Rodgers (although he may appear a tad dim-witted at times) is pushing the club in the right direction. The club’s transition cannot be completed in such a short space of time, and it is clear that Roy Hodgson’s and Damien Comolli’s transfer mishaps have still not been fully overcome. The sheer number of talented youngsters in the Liverpool team suggest the club has a bright future should they be able to bring in enough quality to supplement the development process, but achieving anything this season is a tall ask.
Not only do the players have a lot of natural progression to go through – the manager does as well. It is one thing turning a club like Swansea into a decent Premier League outfit, but it is a whole different ball game driving a club like Liverpool, who are on the whole going through a period of decline, back into a Champions League team. For those of you unconvinced, I have a final thought, a litmus test if you will. Apart from Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez, would any of the Liverpool squad instantly command a place in any of the top four teams?
Sam Allardyce has played down rumours of a contract dispute with Mohamed Diame and expects the midfielder to sign a new deal to stay at West Ham, Sky Sports understand.
Diame has been the subject of intense transfer speculation this month after it came to light that a £3.5 million release clause existed in his contract, alerting a number of Premier League admirers.
There were rumours on Tuesday that the Senegal international was angry with the Hammers for attempting to default on the agreement and would take the matter to FIFA if it wasn’t honoured.
Arsenal are keen on bringing the 25-year-old to the Emirates Stadium before the transfer window closes but Allardyce is hopeful that he will sign a new contract to stay in east London.
“I would’ve thought so,” he said when asked if an amicable resolution could be reached.
“I don’t think the story today that the Mail put out is right. It’s just disruptive agents as always.”
“It really is difficult to secure the player that we’re looking for. Price and quality has to go together for us.
When quizzed on his own progress in the transfer market Allardyce was less than optimistic hinting that January isn’t the ideal shopping period to unearth value for money signings.
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He added: “If the price is right and the player’s not good enough we have to say no, and if the player’s good enough but the price is too big we have to say no.
“It’s an unfortunate situation that we find ourselves in. I’m not trying to put the owners under pressure here at all whatsoever, it’s just a fact of life.”
West Brom winger James Morrison is hoping that the Midlanders can join their weekend opponents Swansea in the Europa League next season.
The Swans booked their spot in the competition after lifting the Capital One Cup last month, capping an impressive campaign.
But, The Baggies moved three points ahead of the South Wales-based outfit in the Premeir League with a 2-1 win on Saturday.
Morrison, who played in Europe with Middlesbrough, believes that West Brom are good enough to make it into continental competition and hopes they can maintain their form and push for qualification:
“We beat a team like Swansea, who’ve had a lot of credit this year, and so should we. We are delighted with where we are.” He is quoted by The Mirror.
“I’ve played in Europe before and we got all the way to the final. It was great, travelling to different countries and facing different opposition.
“I would like to play in Europe again but we’ve got to keep progressing.
“We’ve got a good group of players so let’s kick on from here. Hopefully now we can keep it going because we don’t want to let the season fizzle out.”
One man who has been in fine form for West Brom this season is on-loan striker Romelu Lukaku.
The 19-year-old Belgian has netted an impressive 13 Premier League goals since his arrival from Chelsea, becoming a key player under manager Steve Clarke.
Morrison praised the burly centre-forward and revealed that he hopes he’ll be with the club again next season:
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“His goals are one of the reasons we are where we are. Hopefully the club can get the deal sorted.
“He is a pleasure to have and I think he will be even better next season. I’m sure he is going to be a top player.”