and Tottenham Hotspur are both interested in offering Schalke striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar a way in to the Premier League, according to the Daily Mail.
The 29-year-old Dutch international has stalled on contract talks at Schalke and will be free to sign a pre-contract in January with his current deal with the German side set to expire at the end of the season.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is desperate to bring in more attacking options after he allowed Andy Carroll to go on loan to West Ham and lost Fabio Borini to a broken foot last month, leaving Luis Suarez left as his only fit striker.While Andre Villas-Boas is keen to bolster his attacking options at White Hart Lane with someone who can link up with Jermain Defoe and fill the void that will be left by Emmanuel Adebayor when he plays for Togo in the African Cup of Nations in January.But Liverpool are desperate to complete a deal worth a reported £9 million in January to ensure he can help fire Liverpool to a top four finish for the first time in four years.However, Spurs are hoping to finally secure the hit man’s signature after tracking Huntelaar twice before. He was initially on Tottenham’s radar in 2009 when he left Real Madrid to join AC Milan and then again when he left the Italian giants a year later.Huntelaar has scored 69 goals in 97 appearances in all competitions for Schalke in just over two seasons, including a goal in their 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Champions League last night.[ad_pod id=’tv’ align=’center’][post_link url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/wigan-athletic/latics-ace-not-interested-in-liverpool-move,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/newcastle-ace-claims-luis-suarez-comes-in-two-parts,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/newcastle-united/lille-star-keen-on-newcastle-switch,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/chelsea/chelsea-boss-unfazed-by-guardiola-speculation,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/liverpool/liverpool-fcs-greatest-ever ” target=”_blank” type=”grid”]
West Ham starlet Jordan Spence wants a place in the Hammers first team after making an appearance in the club’s 4-1 victory over Southampton.
The defender is an integral member of the Hammers’ Development Squad, which currently leads the Barclays U21 Premier League Group 1, and has impressed in his performances. His current form has been noticed by Sam Allardyce, with Spence playing in Capital One Cup matches against Wigan and Crewe.
However, he now has his sights set on playing for the first team regularly, and feels that he has enough talent to play in the country’s top flight every week.
In an interview on West Ham’s official website, Spence said: “I have always said that I believe that I am good enough to play in the top flight. I have had the opportunity to do that a few times now and it is where every young footballer in this club should be working towards.
“I have now got to continue working hard, day in day out, and hope that people notice that so I get more chances to show what I can do.”
He also talked about how he enjoyed playing in Saturday’s match after spending most of the 2011/12 season playing for Bristol City on loan.
“First and foremost it was great for me to get out and play for the first team because I missed most of last year. It is important for me to play for the first team because everybody knows how proud I am every time I pull on a West Ham United shirt. It was also very pleasing to also be part of another great win.”
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Jordan Spence scored the winning goal in the Development Squad’s victory against Bolton Wanderers on Monday.
It’s never too early to be optimistic. After all, a big-money transfer can win you the league title 10-months early, and a relatively inexperienced manager can get you relegated even before a ball is kicked. But what can we expect from Arsenal this season after four league games? Importantly, how much of the club’s final outcome will be dictated by the dreaded injury plague that hits the team every season?
The big season for Arsenal since the move into the Emirates Stadium was 2007/08. After the departure of Thierry Henry, it was predicted that Arsene Wenger’s side would fail to land a top four spot and struggle throughout the campaign. All very familiar stuff. But that team, built around a fantastic midfield quartet of Cesc Fabregas, Tomas Rosicky, Alex Hleb, and Mathieu Flamini, stormed through the first half of the season and only picked up their first away loss in December during an away trip to Middlesbrough. It was a side that were getting points off the big teams, convincingly dispatching problematic smaller clubs (barring the early home defeat to West Ham), while also making an incredible impression in European competition. The result at the San Siro against AC Milan really sent shockwaves across Europe, not only because of the final score, but due to the manner in which Arsenal outplayed a hugely experienced Milan side.
Naturally, it all came to an end because of injuries to key players. Two new signings in Bacary Sagna and Eduardo had their seasons cut short, while Robin van Persie picked up his annual season-ending injury after what seemed like only a handful of games. Mathieu Flamini was lost before the season’s end, as was Rosicky. The team’s final league position of finishing only four points behind champions Manchester United should have been a good indication of just how much that team could have achieved had they all stayed fit.
This year for Arsenal, however, is slightly different. All of those notable names have long since departed, while the team now has to find another identity with a host a exciting new arrivals. But is the threat of serious injury the only thing holding Arsenal back from title glory?
Arsene Wenger has never had a weaker side than what he put forward last season. Was that entirely accurate, or was it because all the focus was placed at the foot of van Persie? Mikel Arteta has proven to be an exceptional buy for the club, and the defence currently looks stronger than in any previous season while at Ashburton Grove.
The problem is, football sometimes isn’t as black and white as simply blaming injuries for poor results. The club as a whole have had all sense of winning stripped away, a procedure that started with the loss of Patrick Vieira in 2005 and continued each year until there was nothing left of the former title-winning side. Arsenal have bought former champions and winners at international level, but how much does that help to reshape the mentality of a club who have been disappointed for the best part of a decade?
Winning will breed further success, and what better way to begin than by starting small and working your way up. The Carling Cup should have been the start for this Arsenal team under Wenger, but that injury bug hit once more. Cesc Fabregas was ruled out of the final in 2011 following an injury in the previous game at home to Stoke, and naturally van Persie was substituted out of the final through an injury of his own. Would Arsenal have won that tie with their best players fully fit for the entire game?
This year, a lot of hope has been put on players like Abou Diaby and Mikel Arteta. Without Alex Song or any obvious replacement, there is a great deal of emphasis on those two midfielders to perform and help carry the team forward. Diaby was outstanding at Anfield, but was it something more than just a bright spot in another dark and disappointing season for the player? Both Diaby and Arteta have their injury concerns, but their staying fit for the majority of the season could be the difference between another throwaway season and a great step forward.
Arsenal fans will be dreading any major knock to players like Santi Cazorla, Lukas Podolski and, of course, the key figures in the defensive line. Supporters have seen where the club goes when the injury bug hits, but for once it would be great to see how much potential is in this Arsenal squad if they all stay healthy for the full season.
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Maybe Wenger’s training methods need to be questioned, and the club’s medial team might also need a looking at. Concentration among the squad while on the pitch looks to be addressed, or at the very least it’s moving in the right direction through the introduction of Steve Bould. But many have said it before, this Arsenal team has the ability to beat any team in the Premier League. Unfortunately, they also have the potential to lose to any team in the Premier League. It may only have been Southampton, but a fully fit Arsenal side were devastating in their 6-1 win at the Emirates. For any other team, that would be described as the form of champions.
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Click here to win two tickets to Manchester City v Arsenal
Sir Alex Ferguson is set to give Alexander Buttner his first competitive start for the club against Wigan on Saturday at the expense of Patrice Evra, Mirror Football claim.
The Old Trafford outfit completed a deal to bring the young Dutch left-back to England over the summer, and Buttner is seen as the long-term replacement for the ageing Evra.
Evra has been an ever-present in the Red Devils’ side for the last six years, but it is believed that the legendary Scottish coach is ready to blood the new man slowly but surely into the team.
With the game against Wigan at home a match that United should win on paper, Ferguson is set to reward Buttner for positive showings in training with a start against Roberto Martinez’s men.
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Evra did not have his best game in the recent 3-2 win over Southampton, and as such Buttner looks set to get the nod against the Latics.
Amidst a summer of newly harvested optimism at White Hart Lane defeat there was an air of disappointment about Spurs flat performance in their opening game of the Premier League campaign. Andre Villas-Boas’ arrival at the club has certainly lifted spirits in the wake of missing out on the Champions League last season and Harry Redknapp’s subsequent departure as a result. However defeat on Tyneside gave an indication as to the job Villas-Boas has on his hands to guide Spurs back into the top-four. The addition of Emmanuel Adebayor on a permanent basis will provide the Portuguese tactician with a major boost as he continues to explore different avenues to strengthen his attack. The Togo international struck 17 goals during an impressive season-long loan spell at the North London club and will be expected to fill the lone striker role that Jermaine Defoe struggled to fulfil last week despite getting his name on the scoresheet at St James’ Park. With the pieces slowly falling into place for Villas-Boas getting that first win on the board is now the number one priority.
This week on FFC does Villas-Boas need to start integrating Jan Vertonghen into the starting lineup and which Roma ace are Spurs targeting to replace Luka Modric?
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Best of FFC
All coming together at White Hart Lane?
Why Tottenham fans must back Villas-Boas over exits
Is Tottenham’s strong stance set to backfire?
Why Villas-Boas needs a flying start from Jan Vertonghen
Why signing him would be a game-changer for Tottenham
Which Premier League club has the strongest strikeforce?
Tottenham and United look to trigger £15m clause for Belgium ace
Tottenham set to make renewed bid after previous knock back
Spurs target Roma ace to fill midfield role
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Best of WEB
How Ade came back to Spurs. – Spurs musings from Jimmy G2
Maybe Willian But Certainly No Leandro Damiao – Harry Hotspur
Chill – Dear Mr Levy
Is Willian Really Worth £20M Of Mr Levy’s Cold Hard Cash? – Transfer Tavern
AVB turns a blind eye – Spurs musings from Jimmy G2
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Let’s hug – Dear Mr Levy
What On Earth Was Being Said Here To AVB?! – Harry Hotspur
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Quote of the Week
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“Last year was quite intense. And this season every game will be difficult as you saw at Newcastle on Saturday. They have a good team. Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle will all be fighting for the top four spots. It’s not going to be easy but as a footballer you just have to keep doing your thing and see what happens at the end of the season.” Emmanuel Adebayor eyes the top four after signing for Tottenham on a permanent basis
Manchester United failed to kick on from their two previous wins in the Champions League and Premier League, showing once again on Tuesday night just how big the chasm is between themselves and their local rivals.
David Moyes’ side were lifeless and generally looked well out of their depth. Their opposition Manchester City, were rampant. The 3-0 score line could have been greater had David De Gea not been on hand to prevent Edin Dzeko from grabbing his second soon after the opener.
United’s wins against Olympiakos and West Ham leading up to the Manchester derby gave a better account of the opposition than it did of Moyes and his side. Better teams would have knocked United out of the Champions League last week, while West Ham simply failed to show up this past Saturday.
United’s home defeat to their neighbours was a bitter reminder of just how far the club have fallen. Juan Mata, labelled as the figure to help turn around United’s disastrous campaign, looked well short of his former self; the player who had displayed such comfort and confidence over the past two seasons in the blue of Chelsea. De Gea’s expression said it best when Dzeko was put through by David Silva: where was the protection ahead of him? As for Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley, both are simply not cut out for this level. Premier League, yes, but not as a first-team regulars of a club of United’s stature.
Wayne Rooney, amidst all the criticism he and the club have received since he penned an extension to his contract, was one of only two bright lights for United – the other being De Gea. Though even the likely future captain could not disguise just how much work was needed to lift United back up to the level of their city rivals and, painfully, their greatest rivals in Liverpool.
All United are doing at this time is breaking unwanted records. Home losses against teams who haven’t won at Old Trafford in decades; trips to Greece, only to lose to their league representative for the first time; a string of home and away defeats against north-west rivals; and now confirmed as the lowest points total for the club since the Premier League’s inception.
It acts as a warning to those who were quick to label United as having found their rhythm and turned a corner following victories last week. It’s also a reminder to the club’s hierarchy that Moyes far from understands the requirements of challenging a league rival one-on-one, even without the added drama of a title race.
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Considering the manner of defeats against Manchester City and Liverpool at home, you have to wonder how long, not how much money, it will take before this club are back where they belong at the summit of the Premier League.
One of the most intriguing transformations in football has been the evolution of the modern full-back. Nowadays, they are ever present in the final third of the pitch, surging forward into the penalty area and increasingly ending up on the scoresheet. However, as more and more young starlets flock forward in search of the headlines, do they risk neglecting their essential defensive duties?
In the not too distant past I can recall full-backs essentially playing arm in arm with their centre-back brethren, moving up and down the pitch as one cohesive unit. Over the years however, an increasing number of managers have realised the attacking potential of such players and urged them to push forward. One of the key advantages to adopting this mentality is that full-backs will always have space in front of them, making it easier to be lured up the pitch to offer support.
This transition has been aided by the fact that the 4-4-2 formation is effectively extinct in the Premier League, having been replaced by fluid, intricate set-ups where players are rarely in a fixed position. There are very few traditional, touchline-hugging wingers and so the responsibility to provide the main source of width lies solely with the full-back. The time honoured belief that ‘attack is the best form of the defence’ is perhaps more evident than ever before.
Over the past 12 months, the likes of Barcelona and Manchester City have attempted to give their wide men more freedom by experimenting with the use of wing-backs. The 3-5-2 set-up has had a varying degree of success, largely because it relies heavily on possessing three impenetrable centre-backs that neither side currently has in their ranks. It does however seem logical that full-backs in the Premier League could one day take the shape of James Milner, Dirk Kuyt or Park Ji Sung, as managers look to marry an unrelenting work-rate with a touch of creative flair.
The current batch of promising full-backs need no encouragement to set-up camp in the oppositions half. Tottenham’s Kyle Walker has pace to burn and seems perfectly comfortable spending 90-minute periods performing shuttle runs up and down the right flank. The speed and athleticism of both Walker and Gareth Bale make Spurs an incredibly dangerous counter-attacking side, which strikes fear in the opposition’s full-backs, trapping them in their own half.
In Manchester, Rafael seems eager to embrace the stereotypical nature of the Brazilian full-back. His expertly taken goal against Liverpool highlights the positives of having such a technically gifted player high up the pitch but he is a constant cause for concern in defence, lunging in recklessly to leave his team-mates woefully exposed. Across the city Micah Richards appears to be paying the price for possessing an inferior ability to get forward. His imposing physique is effective when trying to regain possession but he rarely puts it too good use further up the pitch. Richards sadly doesn’t possess the composure or consistency needed to become an effective centre-half and therefore finds himself in a state of limbo, not quite good enough for either role.
In spite of Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at the weekend, the performances of Carl Jenkinson and Kieron Gibbs were incredibly promising. Both players found the perfect balance between their attacking and defensive duties, pushing up only when the Gunners looked comfortable in possession. They also produced a number of well-timed tackles, helping to nullify Chelsea’s world-class wide men. This is perhaps the result of working tirelessly with new assistant manager Steve Bould and should serve as the perfect example for youngsters across the country.
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The key then is finding the right blend between defence and attack, providing support at the opportune moment so not to leave your team susceptible to the counter-attack. Many fans will point to Marauone Fellaini or the return of Steve Pienaar as the reason for Everton’s resurgence this year but i think they dominant preceedings on the flanks as a means of forcing teams into the middle of the park. The defensive duo of Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman have both benefited from linking up with the tenacious, like-minded individuals that form the Toffee’s midfield and they now find themselves with a strong influence at both ends of the pitch.
Join me on Twitter @theunusedsub where I will always consider Jimmy Bullard to be brilliant both on and off the pitch.
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Martin Jol insists Fulham are safe from relegation – but the Cottagers boss is still taking nothing for granted.
Despite being beaten 1-0 at Newcastle on Sunday, Fulham’s odds for the drop have lengthened after Wigan Athletic could only draw with ten-man QPR later in the afternoon.
Fulham have 39 points – eight points more than the 18th-placed Latics – and Jol’s side possess a superior goal difference with only seven games to go.
The Dutchman said: “I don’t think we’re in trouble, but then 10 years ago you needed 44 points to stay up. A couple of seasons ago a club needed 42 points, but for five or six seasons it’s been 36 points.
“There are two clubs who have a problem – Reading and QPR – so it’s all about the third club. I think we are fine, although you never know. At least we have a very good goal difference compared with the other teams.
“That is important, but of course we would like a few more wins.”
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Manchester City have joined the race for Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo, according to reports from SportsDirect News.
The powerful Spaniard has been heavily linked with a Premier League switch for some time, after growing frustrated by a lack of progress at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
Manchester United, Arsenal and West Ham have all been mooted as potential destinations, but now City have joined the queue and made an official enquiry ahead of a possible move.
New Citizens coach Manuel Pellegrini has already swooped to take Jesus Navas from Sevilla to the Etihad Stadium and is keen to reunite the winger with Negredo.
With Carlos Tevez having been sold to Juventus, the Chilean has just two recognised forwards in his ranks – Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero – a problem he is keen to address.
Sevilla are in no hurry to sell their star man, but are aware that he is looking to move on in search of Champions League football.
Pellegrini can offer him this, which may well tempt Negredo.
The 27-year-old managed 25 goals in 36 La Liga appearances during 2012/13, making him the highest scoring Spaniard in the division.
Although individually the ex-Real Madrid man was impressive, Sevilla failed to make a real impact, finishing in a mid-table position.
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Manchester City fans, would you like to see Alvaro Negredo in your team?