Manchester United have renewed their interest in Porto’s winger James Rodriguez and plan to make a move in the summer.
Sir Alex Ferguson has placed Rodriguez high on his wanted list and will sell in order to land the Colombian.
With Manchester United’s interest in Rodriguez last season, Porto have raised his buy out clause from 24 million to 36.
Ferguson is keen to improve his squad and is willing to listen to offers for Nani and Anderson to provide funds in the transfer market.
Anderson, who Manchester United signed from Porto for an estimated 20 million pounds, has hinted at a possible return to the Portuguese side.
“Porto are the one club I would consider moving back to Portugal for.” Anderson said
“My past is there.” (Daily Mail)
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With Anderson failing to hold down a regular place in United’s midfield, he could be used as bait in a possible Rodriguez deal. With his desire to return to the Estadio Do Dragao, United could use Anderson in a possible part-exchange deal.
Although the thread QPR are clinging on to can’t snap on Saturday but there is already a sense of resignation in the air at Loftus Road. Accumulating 10 points from safety with five games remaining isn’t beyond impossible especially given three of those are at home. The R’s have lost just once on their own turf in 2013 and visit fellow strugglers Reading next week meaning all is not lost. However, the look of surrender on Harry Redknapp’s face after the draw with Wigan a fortnight ago tells its own story and that of their chances of remaining a Premier League club. Yet, with Loic Remy proving himself quite the goal threat recently, there’s always a chance of Harry Houdini pulling off his greatest escape act yet.
Plummeting out of the top-flight is a reality that is beginning to grip Stoke with each passing game. Tony Pulis’ men have plunged like a stone towards the drop zone since the turn of the year and have managed just five points in 2013. Unfortunately for the Potters they aren’t showing signs of arresting the slide any time soon unless they find form soon. Away from the Britannia Stadium they’ve struggled badly and have lost their last six on the road. Right now they need to adopt a win at all costs mentality if they’re to haul themselves back on the road to safety and can start by leaving west London with maximum points.
Team News
Bobby Zamora is unavailable again for QPR as he serves the second of a three-match ban. Full back Armand Traore (calf) is hoping to be available.
Stoke have doubts over winger Matthew Etherington as he struggles to overcome a back injury. Marc Wilson is also hopeful of a return to the squad.
What the managers said…
“The dream is still alive – it’s not dead yet and we’ve got to keep going. We need four wins and a draw for the final five to have a chance. We’re still not down. We’ve still got five games to go – we all know it’s a tall order but we will keep going. If relegation happens, we’ve got to regroup and come back stronger, but we’re not giving up yet.” Harry Redknapp still believes QPR can avoid relegation (Daily Express)
There might be a small portion of supporters that have done that but it is not the majority. We have been having a difficult run and minorities get a lot of publicity in this country. The majority of supporters have been brilliant. They understand we are in a battle, a scrap, and they are right behind the team. We have got five games, five throws of the dice to get the six points we need.” Tony Pulis insists he still has the support of the Stoke fans (The Sun)
Pre-match Statistic: With just four wins in 20 Premier League games Harry Redknapp has the same win percentage (20%) as predecessors Neil Warnock and Mark Hughes.
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Prediction: QPR 2-2 Stoke City
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Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement will see Manchester City become the dominant club in the Premier League, according to Yaya Toure.
The Ivory Coast international midfielder was quick to speak out following the news that Ferguson would be ending his long reign of over 26 years at rivals Manchester United at the end of the season with Everton boss David Moyes the man to fill the massive void.
Toure was surprised at the timing of Ferguson’s decision to call time on his career after United had recently wrestled the Premier League title back from City this season.
However, he feels with the veteran Scot out of the way, it will pave the way clear for City to become top dogs in both the city and English football.
Toure told Talksport: “Man City have a great project for the future and, after this movement now, I think City will be dominant in the future.
“The most important thing for us is to try to be the top club in Manchester. Before it was United, but now I hope it will be City.”
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Yesterday’s announcement that Sunderland’s Simon Mignolet has completed a £9million move to Liverpool adds another name to the list of early summer signings at Anfield, along with Kolo Toure, Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto.
Brendan Rodgers’ busy month on Merseyside has surprised many, with the tabloids speculating earlier in the season that the Liverpool gaffer’s room for manoeuvre in the transfer market would be restricted by a rather slim summer budget, suggesting a difficult second campaign for the Northern Irishman.
Yet, so far it seems, that the Reds’ spending power may be limited in comparison to the past, but is by no means so slim that the Rodgers revolution will come to an abrupt end, having to compromise between revamping a squad in ill-health and a lack of financial backing.
The Anfield faithful are undoubtedly delighted with the series of smart signings, however, will the surprisingly high summer investment in new players begin to morph the reality on Merseyside, with fans’ expectations becoming too high?
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We have already seen throughout Rodgers’ inaugural campaign that he is not everybody’s cup of tea. We are a long way from hearing cries of ‘Rodgers out’ ring around the Kop end, yet there have been constant murmurings of discontent from the Anfield faithful, especially before the turn of the year, where the Reds failed to escape the bottom half of the Premier League table.
The fact is, the process of change under Rodgers is coming much slower than the majority of Liverpool fans would wish for. Whilst those outside the club tend to hold the view that the Northern Irishman has made the best out of a difficult situation in getting the Anfield house in order following years of instability, the fan base on Merseyside still hold memories of Champions League qualification, and even Champions League finals, and would prefer to return to former glories sooner rather than later.
Even the Liverpool boss himself has stated that the club’s aim for next season is to chase down the top four and hopefully claim a qualification place at the expense of one of their divisional rivals, a goal which has been further endorsed by a number of players, including skipper Steven Gerrard.
But can the signings of Mignolet, Toure, Aspas and Alberto actually get the Reds back into Europe’s most prestigious cup competition? I recently wrote an article praising Rodgers on his summer transactions, citing that the mixture between ability, age and potential throughout showed a business sense and an ability to spot a good player that has been lacking throughout the tenures of his predecessors.
I still uphold that belief, in addition to the fact I see all four signings as a signal that Liverpool are once again moving in the right direction, yet overall, the new additions are by no means Champions League material.
Iago Aspas has risen from relative obscurity over the past few years to become a star for La Liga side Celta Vigo. He netted 23 goals in 35 appearances during the club’s promotion campaign from the Spanish second tier, whilst last season was his most impressive to date, with 12 goals and 7 assists in the top flight. At £6.7million, it’s clearly a smart piece of business, and the 25 year old certainly has a point to prove after being a late arrival to Europe’s major leagues, but the fact is he by no means a Champions League quality player, and Rodgers will not be expecting the forward to be the difference between finishing up in fifth and fourth place in the Premier League.
Similarly, Kolo Toure is very much a stop-gap acquisition, an attempt to put the issue of Jamie Carragher’s rightful successor on hold for at least another year, and although he provides the Liverpool roster with some much needed experience, with two Premier League titles and three FA Cups on his CV, he will once again not be the kind of player who will single-handedly claim the Reds extra points to close the 12 point margin between themselves and Arsenal this season, whilst Luis Alberto comes with enormous pedigree, but at the age of just 20 and only seven competitive league appearances at top level, he has a long way to go before he is ready to become a first team regular at Anfield.
Simon Mignolet on the other hand, could well prove to have the quality required at a top four club. The Belgium international was sensational last season for the Black Cats, with a number of exceptional displays that even Europe’s top goalkeepers would be proud of. The time is right for him to make the step up to a bigger club, and between the sticks is an area that has undoubtedly cost the Reds at times this season, with Pepe Reina still unable to shake off his knack of individual errors. But players cannot simply transform in quality over-night, and although Mignolet has a bright future ahead of him, the 25 year old is by no means the finished article.
The question is whether or not between them, Aspas, Toure and Mignolet can bridge the current 12 point gap between the Reds and fourth place. In my opinion, they cannot overcome such a vast difference, especially considering the Premier League’s top six, including local rivals Everton, are all expected to spend big this summer following a number of changes in management staff.
Furthermore, the 12 point difference could be much greater should Luis Suarez force a move away from the Premier League. The Uruguayan is determined to leave England behind him and start a-fresh following a string of controversial incidents, including his bite on Branislav Ivanovic, and although his £40million fee would leave adequate enough funds to find a high-quality replacement and maintain the Anfield tradition of a talismanic centre-forward, Suarez’s influence last season is undeniable and irreplaceable.
The 26 year old was the single focal point of Liverpool’s attacking play for the best part of the season, until the arrival of Daniel Sturridge. Everything going forward went through Suarez, with the striker not only instigating attacking moves, but furthermore being the only member of the Reds’ roster seemingly capable of finishing them off.
His 23 goals and 5 assists makes him directly responsible for over a third of Liverpool’s 71 Premier League goals this year, and although Daniel Sturridge is rightly held in high regard at Anfield, the England international is unlikely to be able to immediately fill his strike-partner’s shoes, especially in the big fixtures.
A number of critics have seeked to praise Rodgers’ business this summer. The early approach has allowed the Liverpool boss to bring in the players he wants, and overall at incredibly reasonable fees. But the kind words should not be taken out of context; they are aimed at the Northern Irishman’s abilities in the transfer market, rather than the abilities of his signings.
The Reds still have a long way to go before they can claim to rival Arsenal, Chelsea or even Tottenham in terms of quality and depth, with still too many lacklustre underperformers on the roster, and too many starlets yet to reach their full potential.
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The club are certainly moving forward, financially and on the pitch, but a 12 point gap is impossible to breach in the space of one season without an abundance of investment, and the task will be made even more difficult should Liverpool lose their only world-class talent in Luis Suarez.
Next year will be the Premier League’s most unpredictable yet for a number of reasons, and I expect Brendan Rodgers to take advantage of that by closing the gap between Liverpool and the top four, but in terms of Champions League qualification, the Reds are still a few years away.
The blueprint is there however, and the Anfield faithful must remain patient in a talented manager who is slowly but surely pushing the club back where they want to be – it would be a shame to see his tenure was cut short by unrealistic expectations on the part of the incredibly vocal and militant Anfield fan base.
A shambolic window by all accounts has left many fans of Manchester United already disillusioned by the new regime at the club. Be it the perceived inadequacies of Ed Woodward or David Moyes, the Premier League club have been left well behind their rivals going forward. The endless string of sponsorship deals will be scant consolation for a summer of disappointment for the Manchester club.
But is there a beam of light at the end of the tunnel? Was the deadline day capture of Marouane Fellaini the tonic to the fans’ transfer woes?
The capture of the Belgian midfielder in the late hours of Monday was meant to be the addition required to bolster a somewhat ailing United side. Moyes has long admired Fellaini, having acquired him at Everton where he proved highly successful, but is it time he stopped resting on his laurels at United?
The Fellaini deal just embodies the amateurish new face of Manchester United for me. A club that used to have the first pick on the worlds finest, now subjected to the second tier of footballs offerings.
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If United wanted Fellaini so badly why not pay his release clause in July rather than pay £27.5m in September? This was a costly knee-jerk by the club, that in reality is unlikely to ever have the effect of galvanising the club as was hoped.
A team that wins the domestic league clearly doesn’t need a mass overhaul, but what it does need are small tweaks to allow it to stand up to competition. The teams around United are all getting better and therefore the champions had to be on their game this summer.
The priority for me was always an enforcer. United have never effectively replaced Roy Keane, and this physical side to their midfield has been decidedly lacking. Is Fellaini the answer? Not really.
Fellaini is of course capable of playing the deeper holding role, but he is it at his absolute best playing further up the pitch where he is able to assert himself more readily on the game. His physicality combined with undoubted ability made him a menace to opposition at Everton, and whose to say this won’t be the case at United? Fellaini is a quality player, but when you have Rooney, Kagawa and Welbeck able to play just in and around Van Persie is he really that necessary. Were United not better off buying a ready made holding midfielder?
For much less money United could have got Luiz Gustavo or the exciting young Dutchman Kevin Strootman. Fellaini may well be very good but does he really improve upon what United have already?
Even if the priority was to get in someone a bit more creative, surely Luka Modric or Mesut Ozil were better bets?
To me this underlines United’s problem this window. Whether it is Moyes or not, United do not seem to have the same pull of previous years. Failure to bring in their first choice targets has left them in a state of panic where they have had to go back in for a player who was obviously deemed overpriced and overrated in the early months of the summer.
United fans clamoured for that big name signing all summer and Moyes obliged.
I don’t think United fans are so short-sighted that they will be near satisfied with this move. A desperate attempt by the management to save face, but in reality all the deal has done is ask more questions about the new naïve approach to management at United. Long gone are the days of prudent planning and targeted approaches, replaced by panicked knee jerks.
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Fellaini is a quality player, but he is not the answer to United’s problems. Until Moyes can grapple with the changing horizons at the club he may well be in trouble going forward. Whilst the Belgian may offer some reassuring comfort to the manager, it should only spread worry amongst the fans of the Manchester club.
Was the signing of Fellaini a panicked end to a disappointing summer for United?
The win at home against Arsenal should have been the turning point in the league. Following the 1-0 victory, Manchester United were only five points off Arsene Wenger’s league leaders. The win in Germany and five goals scored against an otherwise good Bayer Leverkusen should have provided the much-needed confidence to push on.
Clubs like Manchester United can afford to go through blips, as they’re so often called. United have history, traditions of winning; they’re the biggest club in England and they’re not going anywhere.
The loss at home to Everton, though, is one that will be used to measure David Moyes and his credentials as worthy successor to Alex Ferguson. Yet even now, after two points from their last three league games, I’m not drawing any conclusions about Moyes.
This isn’t his team. In fact, this, in comparison to teams of the past two decades, isn’t one that can be called a typical Manchester United team with comfort and assurance. How did they win the Premier League title last season? A combination of factors: everyone else was poor, and the influence of Ferguson, who himself knew that last season’s league triumph was the final victory he would extract from this particularly lacking squad.
What is Moyes’ task? Is it, as he suggested of Roberto Martinez, to “keep it going?” Well no. Manchester United’s defence is in a transition from the older heads of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic to the younger names brought in during the final years of Ferguson’s tenure.
The wings, where so much of United’s success was built, need a complete revamp. Antonio Valencia isn’t good enough to be a starter at a club like United, Nani hasn’t fulfilled his promise, and Ashley Young hasn’t turned up for almost two seasons. Combined with the need for a genuine creator in the midfield, these are the mountains Moyes will have to overcome if he’s to turn this club into a successful one post Ferguson.
The stature of Manchester United makes the job even harder, but it’s not a club where such prestige is central to just them. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus have equal status in their leagues. They’re the biggest and best. But in recent years, the success of each of those teams has been on the back of a (re)building project where each manager was given the tools to succeed.
At Barcelona, Pep Guardiola had the fruits of the academy, transforming them into one the most dominant teams in the history of the game. Jupp Heynckes, when Bayern needed to recover and push on from their Champions League and domestic failure in 2012, was given Javi Martinez and Mario Mandzukic. Bayern were far from a bad side before that, but they needed more.
In comparison, Moyes hasn’t had any of that. He’s inherited a squad whose positives do little to outweigh the negatives. Is he solely at fault for the club’s failure to bring in adequate reinforcements in the summer? No. Even Ferguson had the aid of David Gil in negotiations. Bringing in two new faces in key areas, Moyes and Ed Woodward, will naturally raise problems of speed and fluidity in the market.
United are a poor squad, but some perspective is needed. The match against Everton could have gone the other way. What if one of United’s many chances went in? Wayne Rooney’s efforts, Patrice Evra’s? It’s fine margins. If they had won, it would have been described as a gritty victory and one telling of a team who know how to win ugly. Instead, the loss will wrongly focus on any shortcomings of the manager.
Moyes of course does have his flaws. You still sense that he needs to adopt a winning mentality now that he’s moved up the ladder. But he hasn’t been entrusted with turning this team in champions. Anyone could have seen that this United team didn’t have the strength or quality of Manchester City or Chelsea. The form of Arsenal thus far has only further highlighted the inadequacy of this team to generate long winning runs.
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As it’s so often called, Moyes has a project on his hands to overhaul this squad. They don’t need one or two; many are right when they say United need six or seven new players. Struggles and inconsistency, therefore, are to be expected.
Moyes will have the aid of a January window, where you’d hope the club make better use of it than they did in the summer. We can fully weigh up and judge how well Moyes has done by the end of the season. But what this season is highlighting so far is the skill of Ferguson to turn this squad into contenders and champions; this group’s final offering of note.
Arsene Wenger was delighted with the resilience shown by his league leaders during yesterday’s 1-0 win over Newcastle at St James’s Park, reports the Guardian.
The Gunners have been continually written off throughout the season, by pundits who believe they do not have the winning mentality to last the distance in the title race after an eight year trophy drought.
But Wenger believes the back-to-back away wins at West Ham and Newcastle – which have propelled his side back to the top of the Premier League – have answered a lot of questions about his side.
“In the last 15 minutes ,we have shown another aspect of our team – resilience, fight. We threw our bodies in the box,” the Frenchman was quoted as saying by Arsenal.com.
“You have seen today a technical aspect of our team that was quite good but as well a mental aspect that was needed in a game of that stature.”There is something in the team that is special on the mental front where we have many times been questioned.”But we have shown that at West Ham when we were 1-0 down, we have shown that again today when we were a bit backs to the wall in the last 15 minutes. There’s a great solidarity and a great spirit in the side.”Arsenal missed the opportunity to go five points clear at the top of the table earlier in the month, after a 1-1 draw with Everton at the Emirates, and a 6-3 thrashing at the Etihad.But overall Wenger is delighted with the way his team have come out of the hectic Christmas period.”We’ve come out of very difficult games,” Wenger said.”We played Everton, we played Man City, Chelsea, at West ham, at Newcastle and we dropped some points but I felt it was more down to the heavy schedule and short recovery time we had than to the difficulty of the games.” Click below to watch Man United vs Spurs LIVE!
Amid Manchester United’s capture of Juan Mata and the assumed resurgence that would start immediately after his helicopter touched down in Manchester, it was easy to forget the strong position Liverpool had ahead of United (and Everton and Spurs) for a place in the top four.
Following Brendan Rodgers’ high praise of his “SAS” attack towards the end of last year, it appeared that all Liverpool needed was another strong January window to supplement Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, who together have been the primary reason for Liverpool’s continued stay either in or just below the Premier League top four.
It goes without saying that both Liverpool and United have a lot of work to do, but Liverpool are further down the road to being a side complete and fully able to land fourth in the Premier League this season. At this stage, and considering the might of Manchester City and Chelsea, Liverpool look to be out of the title race.
What was a little worrying, though, is Rodgers’ pursuit of Yevhen Konoplyanka, a talented and exciting winger who would have been a good long-term addition at the club. But Liverpool seem to be in a state of score more than the opponent, which they’re more than able to do with Suarez and Sturridge in such good form.
The problem for the team is at the back, where evidently they’re never too far away from a Kolo Toure or Martin Skrtel-sized slip up.
The loss of Lucas Leiva to injury seemed to confirm what most already knew: Liverpool needed further protection ahead of the back four. Not only that, but a system which best utilises Coutinho, Suarez and Sturridge as a front three needs strong, able and technically gifted runners in the midfield; players who can work at both ends of the pitch and won’t allow themselves to be overrun.
So far, and even with Lucas available, Liverpool haven’t always looked secure ahead of the defence. It’s certainly a worry that they’re light of creative talents, but thus far we’ve seen that Suarez and Sturridge are either able to work in tandem or able to craft their own scoring opportunities. Liverpool could afford to address the issue of creativity at a later date.
What is needed, however, is a Nemanja Matic. The Serbian was a pricey acquisition for Chelsea, albeit one well worth the money, but Liverpool should have been hot on the tails of a player of similar ability. Games like the recent draw with West Brom will come around again, and it’s to be expected: there will be games where Rodgers’ primary goal threats fail to hit the target. But Liverpool as a collective haven’t been goal-shy this season. Liverpool have only failed to score twice in the league this term.
Liverpool may yet finish fourth. Being two points ahead of Everton and seven ahead of United, it’s not out of the question. But the decision to overlook the reinforcing of the midfield may come back to haunt Rodgers. The club had the opportunity to round out the current squad with one or two additions but failed to make a signing.
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Rather than pulling away from those just behind with a much-needed January addition, Liverpool, for now at least, remain very much in the mix.
Click below to see Liverpool v Arsenal EXCLUSIVELY LIVE!
John Terry is a divisive figure here in the Football Transfer Tavern, but our punters want to hear what the Daily Express has to say about the Chelsea skipper.
The publication have claimed that Terry and Chelsea are in talks over a new deal at Stamford Bridge and that the defender wishes to sty at Chelsea ‘forever’.
As our punters note while at the pool table, when it comes to his on-field talent, the defender is second to none, but his off-the-field antics have caused a fair few issues including his omission from the PFA Team of the Year and indeed his exit from the England international set-up.
Terry was called just as good as when he first played under Jose Mourinho by the manager at his press conference yesterday ahead of the Atletico Madrid clash, and Terry followed this by pledging his future to the Blues.
He noted: “I think when the manager speaks about forever I agree,
“I’ve been here since I was 14 and nowhere else. I want to stay here for the rest of my footballing days.
“We are still in talks which are on-going, because of the big games recently we haven’t spoken for a few weeks. But I hope it gets done as I want to stay.
“I hope things can be wrapped up by the end of the season.
“It’s down to the club. They know I want to stay.”
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One thing that Terry did close the door on however was a recall to the England side, with the defender claiming that will never happen – and the only way he will be involved in the World Cup this summer will be via a TV screen.
Is John Terry fully deserving of a new deal at Chelsea? Is there a scenario where he will ever be capped by England again? Let us know your thoughts below.
Mario Balotelli continues to be linked with a move to Arsenal this summer, with further reports adding that Puma, who sponsor both Arsenal and Balotelli, are willing to help facilitate the move.
The Italian forward has an eye-catching record in front of goal for Milan since his move in January 2013, but the club are looking to raise funds via the player’s sale and Arsenal could look to do business, with Arsene Wenger on the hunt for a world-class striker to round out the attack at the Emirates.
Balotelli’s erratic nature is a concern, but if he can raise his game in Brazil in the way he did during Euro 2012, he may see himself with a large number of suitors come the end of the tournament.
Arsenal are in need of a large number of quality signings this summer, and if Balotelli is to lead the way, these are SIX players who could follow the Italian to north London.
[ffc-gallery]CLICK ON CARLOS VELA TO REVEAL
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Football – Real Sociedad Training – Old Trafford, Manchester, England – 22/10/13Real Sociedad’s Carlos Vela during trainingMandatory Credit: Action Images / Carl RecineLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
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Jackson Martinez
Football – Galatasaray v FC Porto – Emirates Cup 2013 – Pre Season Friendly Tournament – Emirates Stadium – 13/14 – 3/8/13Jackson Martinez – FC Porto Mandatory Credit: Action Images / John Sibley
Jackson Martinez has once again emerged as a target for Arsenal this summer, according to the player’s agent. The striker market is looking thin at the moment for Arsenal, who need someone who is capable of scoring 20 league goals at least next season. But Martinez has been linked with a move out of Portugal for much of the past year, with clubs around Europe impressed by the Porto forward’s scoring record. The Portuguese club are notoriously difficult to negotiate with, which makes it difficult to see Wenger moving for the Colombian. But Wenger may well be convinced if the forward has a good World Cup. Based on stats alone – 20 goals in 30 league games last season – he’d be a good buy for the club.
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Carlos Vela
Football – Real Sociedad Training – Old Trafford, Manchester, England – 22/10/13Real Sociedad’s Carlos Vela during trainingMandatory Credit: Action Images / Carl RecineLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
If reports are to be believed, Arsenal have been in talks to sign Carlos Vela all week. The Mexican forward is available to the club for £3.5 million, but it’s been suggested that Wenger will buy back the forward and immediately sell him on at a profit. Vela has all the qualities to be a success at the club at the second time of asking, but he appears to have burnt his bridges with Wenger after a string of indiscretions during his first spell. Vela would be a very good buy for the club this summer, given his price tag, allowing for the club’s budget to be focused on other areas of the team in equal or greater need of address.
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Calum Chambers
Football – Hull City v Southampton – Barclays Premier League – The Kingston Communications Stadium – 11/2/14Southampton’s Calum Chambers celebrates at full timeMandatory Credit: Action Images / Jason CairnduffLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or live services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account
It would be enormously risky of Arsene Wenger to sign 19-year-old Calum Chambers and have him battle Carl Jenkinson for a starting position at right-back next season, but it’s not something you’d put past the Arsenal manager. Wenger is reportedly an admirer of the Southampton youngster, who is on Arsenal’s radar as they search for a replacement for Bacary Sagna. The only way this makes sense is if Arsenal land Chambers and another experienced right-back, while loaning out Jenkinson. Chambers has shown a lot of potential this season, and with the paucity of quality at right-back for England, looks set to become a full international in the near future.
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Pepe Reina
Football – Arsenal v S.S.C Napoli – Emirates Cup 2013 – Pre Season Friendly Tournament – Emirates Stadium – 13/14 – 3/8/13Napoli’s Pepe ReinaMandatory Credit: Action Images / John Sibley
Pepe Reina had a good season on loan in Italy, winning the Coppa Italia, and now looks to be on his way permanently out of Liverpool, with the club invested in Simon Mignolet. Reina has lost a lot of support in English football due to the nature of his mistakes over the past few years and the belief that he’s now declining as a player. But as a member of the Spanish World Cup squad, he’d be a valuable asset to have as backup to Wojciech Szczesny at Arsenal. The big problem is his wages, but Wenger is a known fan of the goalkeeper, and adding an experienced figure to the goalkeeping department would be a wise move.
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Alvaro Morata
Football – AFC Bournemouth v Real Madrid – Pre Season Friendly – Goldsands Stadium, Dean Court – 13/14 – 21/7/13Alvaro Morata – Real MadridMandatory Credit: Action Images / John Sibley
This one is set to drag on deep into the summer, with Real Madrid insisting on £25 million for Alvaro Morata or £15 million plus the option to buy him back in the future, reportedly. Wolfsburg were said to close to a deal, but that appears to have gone quiet, while Juventus and Arsenal have been admirers for much of the off-season so far. Morata would add a good deal of depth to Arsenal’s front line, but isn’t yet the finished article to lead a team to the league title. The sticking point will be Wenger’s obvious reluctance to spend that lavishly on a player who will only be a backup/prospect.
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Luiz Gustavo
Football – Brazil v Japan – FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 Group A – Estadio Nacional, Brasilia, Brazil – 15/6/13Luiz Gustavo – BrazilMandatory Credit: Action Images / Carl Recine
Luiz Gustavo was heavily linked to Arsenal last summer, with the club seemingly intent on adding a specialist in the defensive midfield position. But for one reason or another, Gustavo joined Wolfsburg from Bayern, strengthening a squad that is shaping up to be one of the most impressive in the Bundesliga. The Brazilian was a starter in the World Cup opener on Thursday night, partnering Paulinho and performing well, covering for David Luiz whenever the PSG defender roamed forward. Wolfsburg have no financial need to sell, but further good performances at this World Cup could alert Arsene Wenger, who has made a defensive midfielder one of his top priorities this summer.