Manchester United defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah posted on Twitter after his loan spell with Crystal Palace came to an end on Sunday and suggested that he won’t be returning to the Eagles, and Red Devils fans were quick to react.
The 6ft 3in tall right-back, who can also play as a defensive midfielder, had something of a rollercoaster campaign with the south London club, being something of a regular in the XI up until February, before he was then struggling to make Roy Hodgson’s matchday squad in the final couple of months of the campaign.
Meanwhile, United manager Jose Mourinho could be looking to sign a defensive midfielder and right-back this summer, although Fosu-Mensah will hope that he can stop the Portuguese manager needing to strengthen in one of those positions by making a big impact in pre-season.
Man United supporters, who didn’t enjoy the performance of a 20-year-old in the 1-0 win against Watford on Sunday, took to social media to respond to the Netherlands international’s message, and while one said “come home now”, another said “welcome back to United my bro”.
Arsenal have already signed one player this summer in Petr Cech for one of the key areas of their team that needed to be addressed if the Gunners are going to be challenging for the title next season.
But that doesn’t mean Gunners manager Arsene Wenger’s business is done just yet. There are other areas that Arsenal need to strengthen in, and these are right up the spine of the team. The key positions are in central defence where the Gunners need to strengthen, in defensive midfield and up front.
And what could be a better place to find this talent than the Bundesliga? Here are five top players the Gunners should be looking to sign this summer.
The first of these is Christoph Kramer, who is a German international defensive midfielder, but is also comfortable at centre-back.
Kramer is just 24-years-old and has already got 10 international caps with Germany. He has played his football on-loan at Borussia Monchengladbach for the last couple of years but is now hoping to nail down a permanent position at his parent club Bayer Leverkusen.
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He may be best known for his surprise World Cup final appearance where he was subbed early following concussion, but he is well known in Germany as one of their top young players. He is a midfield rock, strong at breaking up attacks and allowing his team mates to play, a typical good defensive midfielder and would be a good signing for Arsenal.
The second player Arsenal should be looking to sign is Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who would certainly address their striking problems.
Aubameyang is a well known player to English fans; he has incredible pace, can play out wide or up front and importantly for the Gunners, he scores goals.
He scored 16 league goals last season, mainly from the wing, but he is also fully capable of playing up front. The forward would get plenty more goals up top considering the chances Wenger’s side creates. The Gunners have already been heavily linked with the Gabon international already and for £28m it could be a fantastic deal for Arsenal.
Another player from the Bundesliga that the Gunners should look to sign is Wolfsburg’s Kevin De Bruyne. The former Chelsea man was one of the most creative players in Europe last season, scoring an impressive 10 goals and tallying a staggering 20 assists.
The Belgium international would prove to be a pricey transfer, but with those sort of numbers the Gunners would be getting a player capable of creating chances a plenty and is really a top drawer player.
Schalke whizkid Maximilian Meyer is another player with the potential to be a success in the Premier League; he is not exactly a household name as of yet, but he is expected to become one.
At just 19-years-old he has already been capped by Germany and has been a regular feature for Schalke over the last two seasons.
Meyer is an attacking midfielder and has already been compared to Mario Gotze and Lionel Messi, due to his dribbling abilities and lightening pace. He is a huge talent and will become a fantastic player
This next player is not quite as inexperienced and that is Borussia Dortmund’s Marco Reus, who would be the biggest signing of the lot.
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Reus is an outstanding talent, a German international and one of the best players in the Bundesliga. He has 25 caps with Germany and has regularly notched over ten goals a season from wide positions for Dortmund.
Reus is best known for his versatility, speed and his superb technique. And this versatility means that Reus could even be considered as a striking option for Wenger’s side.
He is of course more suited to the left wing, but is as equally able to play on the right or centrally due to his ability to control the ball with both feet. The German is a superb player and would be a huge signing for the Gunners.
If Arsenal can complete one or two of these deals then Wenger’s side would much improved for it.
A Fernando Torres in his prime is something every Arsenal fan would love to see at the Emirates. But that Torres is long gone, now replaced by a shadow of the player who once lit up the Premier League and could be considered the best in the world.
There is work to be done for both Arsenal and Torres, and off the bat it is far from a partnership that could work. The lack of patience for the Spanish forward would be astonishing at the Emirates, only likely to further his underwhelming performances and lack of cutting edge in league games. How far do we go in entertaining this rumour that was thrown out over the weekend? Arsenal have been linked with everyone there is to name ahead of this summer; why wouldn’t someone throw Torres’ name in the hat just for kicks?
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But the issue here is that Torres does need a move away from Chelsea and away from English football. He won’t line up for Real Madrid, for reasons beyond his diminishing status in the game, while even Barcelona and their apparent need for a Plan B would seem a stretch.
It wasn’t too long ago that Torres himself claimed to be returning to his best. What he defines as “best” I’m not quite sure, but it’s far from what he produced in his debut season at Anfield. The pace is gone but surely the intelligence hasn’t deserted him too. Torres should still be capable of scoring 20 league goals in a season if he adapts his game and, importantly, people stop baying for something comical. The Premier League as a whole won’t be so kind.
Napoli is another club who have been linked with the Spaniard, though that could just be due to the convenience of Rafa Benitez taking over at the San Paolo this summer. Much like at the Emirates, how would those in Naples greet the idea of Torres replacing the possibly outgoing Edinson Cavani? It just amounts to another dead end for the striker, unless of course he can muster a season-long effort that resembles something above a decent striker.
Torres would have been one of the most disappointed by Spain’s loss to Brazil in the final of the Confederations Cup. For long spells in the game, Julio Cesar had very little to do. Juan Mata, likely through fatigue, had one of his worst and most ineffectual games in recent memory. But Torres is seen as the senior striker in the squad, even ahead of David Villa, who often plays wide when Torres is in the team. It only takes a poor season from him and a very good one from a collection of his compatriots for him to be completely out of the squad for next summer’s World Cup. He surely knows that, Vicente Del Bosque, who has stood by the striker through difficulties, can surely not be so kind after the Confederations Cup exposed a number of weaknesses.
A move to Arsenal for Torres would simply represent a half-hearted attempt by the club’s board to rectify the glaring problems and appease the fans. Torres is as big a name in European football as you’re likely to get; he’s won the lot bar a league title. But his arrival would be such a far cry from what Arsenal actually need. It would be hugely underwhelming to go into a season with your marquee signing being propped up by the ropes after a near-disastrous last two seasons in English football.
I question how keen Atletico Madrid would be to taking him back, though the obvious bond between the player and club could disguise his shortcomings. AC Milan are unlikely to look to a striker who is nearing his 30th birthday after they made it quite clear that youth is their policy going forward. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a good club on the continent for Torres, nor does it mean he can’t be an asset somewhere. Yet the obvious clubs that spring to mind are not the best fit, while Torres himself needs to get as far away from the damaging nature of English football and repackage himself ahead of what should be another enormous summer for him and Spain.
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Would Torres be a disaster at Arsenal or is it a match made in heaven?
Instigating change is tough in football. This week has shown the dangers of doing it quickly, with Andre Villas Boas coming under instant pressure at Tottenham and Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool struggling to come to terms with the new style of football that was the signature of his Swansea team. It is unsurprising then that Roy Hodgson, holder of the poison chalice that is the England manager’s job, has distanced himself from this new fad, insisting that he is in no rush to dispose of the ironically named ‘Golden Generation’, which has never led England to anything like silverware, never mind gold.
At the heart of the issue, as usual, is England’s midfield dilemma. For years the questions in the build-up to England games surrounded which of the 400 players England had tried on the left side of midfield would be given the nod to start the upcoming match. Nowadays another issue is at hand. The centre of midfield the position up for debate, particularly with injuries to steady Gareth Barry and golden boy Jack Wilshere leaving Hodgson with such depleted options in the area that Jordan Henderson cannot be far away from another call-up.
As a result, in the build-up to Friday’s World Cup qualifier in Moldova Hodgson has intimated that he may select Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard alongside each other in the middle of the park. It would be a disappointing decision by Hodgson, who flatters to deceive by suggesting he is ready to make brave decisions by selecting the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and yet continues to follow in the path of his predecessors by sticking with squad players who have previously been found wanting and making tactical decisions such as the Gerrard-Lampard one which are likely to see England move backwards rather than forwards. England have failed to reach the last four of a major tournament since 1996, and yet Hodgson seems to think that nothing is broken and therefore, as the saying goes, he is not going to fix it. In reality, the time has surely come to realise that international success for England can only follow large-scale changes.
Sir Alex Ferguson, the best of the bunch among managers, recognises this need for change to reignite a team, and having suffered the bitter disappointment of defeat to the ‘noisy neighbours’ last year on goal difference, he has drastically altered his attacking options. The futures of key players such as Nani and even Wayne Rooney have been thrown into question, with new blood such as Shinji Kagawa and Robin van Persie providing a new dimension at Old Trafford. Ferguson has never been one to fear cutting ties, with countless superstars like Keane, Beckham and van Nistelrooy able to testify that when he feels a player needs to be moved on for the good of the team, Ferguson is never slow to respond. It is one of the many characteristics that make him arguably the greatest club manager of modern times.
Obviously, the task is significantly less straightforward for Hodgson. If he decides to usher the likes of Gerrard and Lampard from the international set-up, he cannot simply spend an oligarch’s ransom on a world-class midfield player to replace them in the same way that top club sides can. He must look to promote from within, and the number of international standard players in England declining, with the influx of foreign talent that makes its way to the Barclay’s Premier League every summer leaving even those with the most exciting of potential such as Danny Sturridge, Danny Welbeck and Steven Caulker with a tough battle to hold down a first-team place. These three players are all examples of those who have dropped down to clubs of lesser resources on loan to learn their trade , but a mid-table Premier League club does not prepare them for international football in the same way as Champions’ League experience with a club that teaches them the habit of winning. As a result, many of the best young English players are still learning the game at the top level.
But it is too easy to say that picking Gerrard and Lampard in midfield together is the best option because there is no better option. Barry and Wilshere may have been the pair’s closest rivals if fit, but they are far from the only options. Tom Cleverley shone in his last England outing. Jack Rodwell looks to have added an extra dimension to his game in his brief spell at Manchester City, and has also impressed in his fleeting cameos at the heart of the England midfield. Michael Carrick, recently returned to the international scene, has won countless medals down the years but has never been a regular starter for England. Leon Britton had a pass completion rate to rival Andres Iniesta, and yet has never been considered for an England side that was shown to be hopelessly incapable of retaining possession at Euro 2012.
These players may currently be on the rung below Gerrard and Lampard as individuals, but that is not to say that they should be disregarded as options for what is fast becoming a problem position for Hodgson. After all, creating a great football team isn’t about picking the most talented players, but about picking the best team to win the match. Sergio Busquets, for example, is a regular for Barcelona and Spain, there are many other rivals for his place that would be considered more technically proficient. The Gerrard-Lampard axis has never looked natural since Lampard became an England regular in the build-up to Euro 2004. They have had plenty of chances, and have shown what they are capable of. With this pairing in midfield, England might get to the quarter finals of major tournaments, but they are regularly hopelessly outclassed against the world’s elite.
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The conservatives will argue that wholesale changes may result in disaster. England may fail to qualify for the World Cup. They may get knocked out in the group stages. But in reality what is the difference between a first round exit and a quarter final? Both are failures. Both will be greeted with the same feeling of deflation that has become all too familiar to England fans in recent years. England need to improve, and only experimentation and new ideas can lead to improvement. Selecting the same team again and again will lead to continuity, and for England, continuity is no longer the order of the day. So come on Roy. Take a chance, go for glory. Make England exciting again. Make a change.
According to reports, Everton could be set to battle Wolves for the signing of “the Iranian Messi” – Rubin Kazan striker Sardar Azmoun
What’s the story?
The report from Teamtalk claims Everton face a battle from Wolves, Leicester and Celtic for the 23 year-old, with Wolves currently leading the way.
Liverpool were linked with Azmoun in the past, and he has continued to impress in Russia with his guile and clinical finishing.
The report says Everton and Celtic both showed interest in the striker last year, and they will pick up where they left off this summer.
With 23 goals in 31 caps for Iran, there’s no doubt Azmoun knows where the back of the net is – but is he good enough for Everton yet?
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Smart move to Merseyside?
The 23 year old’s fantastic international record is offset somewhat by his slightly worrying output for his club, scoring just four times in the league this season in 24 appearances, though 13 of those did come as a substitute.
Azmoun is strong in the air and a lethal finisher when he gets the chance, but he is still quite a raw talent.
In a similar way to Alexis Sanchez, he loves to do little flick-ons and mazy runs with the ball, but in a much less refined way than the Chilean, which would make him a risk for the Toffees.
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How many of those little flicks could he try before the Goodison crowd got fed up of them not working?
After the massive summer spending spree last year, Everton need to be extremely careful not to repeat the same mistakes, and signing Azmoun would be a big risk.
Everton fans, would you back a move for the Iranian Messi? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
The last game of the season is approaching, and the players are already dreaming of pina coladas and sandy beaches. Most of them anyway. It’s the time of the year when few clubs have anything to play for, and the ones that do are frantic and pumped up.
Aston Villa do still have something to play for – a big something, the FA Cup – but this weekend it’s Premier League duty. Villa are safe, and their opponents are the already-relegated Burnley.
So there’s not much to play for in this particular game. And Villa are in a tricky situation.
It’s not at all a bad situation, but every club goes through this in their last game before a cup final – do you play your best team and try to gain momentum before the final, or do you rest your players out of a mortal fear of an injury to your best and brightest?
Momentum is important, if you’re out of form you’re more likely to lose. Psychology is at work here and when things go wrong, they seem to go worse the next time. Bayern Munich are a good example of how having bigger fish to fry can hurt you big time. Bayern stopped trying in the Bundesliga post winter break, their league form suffered and they were dumped out of the Champions League fairly convincingly at the hands of Barcelona. The same thing happened last season when they faced Real Madrid.
You need to keep the form going because if you don’t, you’re likely to meet a team in form in the final.
Villa’s form, though, took a bit of a knock last week in their 6-1 humiliation at St Mary’s against Southampton. That might look like a shocker, something that will have hit their confidence and made it more difficult to get up for the final. Or it might really benefit them for the final.
The great thing for Villa after that horror show last weekend is the fact that they have another game before they face Arsenal at Wembley. They have a game now to put things right and find their feet again. Burnley are certainly no pushovers as they’ve showed this season, but after a heavy defeat, the best thing for Villa is that they’re playing against a weaker team – as evidenced by their relegation.
A win against Burnley would see the confidence soar before the final.
Last season, Hull City went into the FA Cup final on the back of some shocking league form – two wins in 11 games – and lost to Arsenal. This time around, if Villa win on Sunday they’ll have five wins in their last seven in all competitions. Arsenal meanwhile, have won only two of their last six.
It’s not all about form, of course, but it’s nice to have form going into the final. And against Arsenal, who are big favourites, Villa will need all the help they can get.
But this is the tough situation that Villa face. Since Sherwood has come in, they players have been on good form overall, but they’ve worked hard. Sherwood might be tempted to rest some players to keep them fresh for the final, but when you’ve just been trounced by Southampton you don’t want to have to wait a week before you can get out onto the pitch again to make amends. And you definitely don’t want to be trying to make amends at Wembley.
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But without resting some players, Villa’s key members of the squad might not want to play Burnley as wholeheartedly as they might otherwise. Burnley are a physical team who will work hard, and if the Villa players are worried about injuries then they’ll find it very tough.
That’s the balancing act for Sherwood. He can rest players to keep them fit, or win the game and gather momentum, but he knows it’s not as simple as that. Sherwood’s solace is the fact that Wenger is in exactly the same position. Short of form and worried about the fitness of key players.
Spurs defender Younes Kaboul could return from injury in time for the clash with Manchester City on Sunday.
The France ace has been out for the entire season, bar a few minutes, and underwent surgery on his knee last August but he played for the development side last week against West Ham and is now set for another run out.
Kaboul returned to training last week and is set for a 90 minute outing on Monday afternoon, and if he comes through that without any problems then he could be in line for a place in the squad on Sunday.
William Gallas is a doubt for the City clash so Kaboul’s return would be a timely one but the boss is unlikely to risk him if there is any doubt about his fitness.
Spurs U21 coach Chris Ramsey was delighted with Kaboul’s performance against West Ham, “He did well, had no problems really,” Ramsey told Sky.
“He wanted to play an extra 15 minutes as well, showed a fantastic attitude and wanted to push his fitness a little more.
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“Overall, when you look at the fact that a player like Younes returns to action after eight months out and the experience the younger lads gain playing alongside him, it’s another great exercise for us.”
Sunderland were officially relegated to League One on Saturday, and it’s fair to say Newcastle fans are enjoying themselves.
Chris Coleman’s Sunderland completely capitulated on Saturday, giving up their slender lead in the closing stages as relegation rivals Burton Albion scored two late goals to steal all three points at the Stadium of Light.
The 2-1 defeat has left the Black Cats officially relegated, and they are on pace for a historically bad home record after yet another shocker at home.
As if today couldn’t get any worse for the Black Cats, their arch-rivals are rubbing salt in the wound, mercilessly mocking the Wearside club for their troubles.
Newcastle fans were amused this week when Sunderland mistakenly cancelled several tickets for their final home game against Wolves after a Geordie joke on Twitter, and it just gets better and better for the Toon Army.
Not only are the Magpies flying in the Premier League, their old foes have suffered the infamous double drop, and will of course now be in the same league as Accrington Stanley, who were promoted from League Two last weekend.
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Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
Romelu Lukaku’s new agent has made some bold claims recently about the status of the Belgian forward.
He has stated that had he been representing Lukaku earlier he would never have signed for Everton. He also believes Lukaku is better than Chelsea’s Diego Costa.
Is Mino Raiola right or is he just being disrespectful?
After spending a season on loan at Everton from Chelsea, Romelu Lukaku signed for Roberto Martinez’s side last July for £28 million. He had scored 15 league goals for the Toffees in the 2013/14 season; a bit of a jump from the 0 Premier League goals registered at Chelsea.
During his time at Everton, Lukaku has received immense praise for both his work rate and his goals. Whereas at Chelsea, he hardly got a look in.
So what is so wrong with playing for Everton?
They may not be a ‘big six’ side but they aren’t a bad side either. They were one of the teams to watch in the Europa League before being knocked out by Dynamo Kiev. Everton may not be as high up the table as they were last season but they also aren’t fighting to stay up.
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Considering Everton giving Lukaku first team football, he should be grateful. It is clear to see that Chelsea did not want him, despite Raiola saying he may have still been playing at the Bridge had he been his agent earlier.
But why would Lukaku want to stay at Chelsea just to keep the bench warm?
Everton have helped Lukaku become the player he is today. They may not be the most glamorous side on earth but you could certainly do a lot worse.
Raiola had no need to speak out about Everton. Having faith in Lukaku is one thing, but to bash the side who field him and pay his wages is another.
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Lukaku probably won’t play for Everton forever. But he does now and that is what matters.
He still plays in the league that is considered to be the best and most physical in the world. Raiola’s comments were disrespectful and he should be careful he does not make things worse for his player.
If anything, his comments could deter supposedly ‘bigger’ sides from signing him.
Roberto Martinez insists Wigan will continue to play passing football as they battle to stay in the Premier League.
Latics again turned on the style to defeat Millwall 2-0 in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final and the Spaniard has vowed to stick by the same principles as his side fight another relegation battle.
Positive results for Sunderland and Aston Villa over the weekend mean Wigan are back in the bottom three and face battle to beat the drop over the remaining games of the season.
However, while Martinez wants his players to fight for survival, he also wants them to play good football.
“I have never been tempted to change,” he said. “From starting as a manager at Swansea in 2007, it hasn’t been easy.
“Everyone looks at Swansea now and thinks they have played that way for 20 years. It took six months. It was very new and people had to be educated.
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“But since I left my country to join the British game I would never change my football beliefs.”