According to reports in the Daily Mail, Southampton left-back Ryan Bertrand could follow Virgil van Dijk through the St Mary’s exit door during the January transfer window with Manchester City considering making a move for the England international.
What’s the word, then?
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Well, Saints finally sold defender Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool in a £75m deal on Wednesday to end the long-running saga, and Bertrand may be the next player to leave the south coast outfit.
The Daily Mail says that the 28-year-old is on a five-man shortlist of players that Citizens boss Pep Guardiola is targeting next month, along with West Bromwich Albion’s Jonny Evans, Real Sociedad’s Inigo Martinez, Espanyol’s Aaron Martin and Augsburg’s Philipp Max.
The Daily Mail says that Bertrand has remained on Guardiola’s radar after the runaway Premier League leaders originally enquired about his potential availability during the summer, and the Spaniard could try again in the New Year with Benjamin Mendy set to be sidelined for the majority of the season through injury.
How has Bertrand done this season?
The 28-year-old had played every minute of Southampton’s Premier League campaign before the previous two matches against Huddersfield Town and Tottenham Hotspur, which he missed with a hamstring problem he picked up in the 1-0 defeat against Chelsea earlier this month.
While the England international wasn’t at his best earlier in the season, he had impressed more in recent weeks and picked up three assists in the 4-1 win against Everton and 4-1 defeat against Leicester City at St Mary’s, as well as picking up the man of the match award in the 1-1 draw against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
Would he be a big loss for Southampton?
He certainly would be.
Much of the Saints’ attacking success in recent seasons has come because of the width and extra attacking outlet that their full-backs provide, and Bertrand has established himself as one of the best in his position in the Premier League – hence why he is wanted by Man City.
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That said, the south coast outfit do have academy graduates Matt Targett and Sam McQueen that are able to play at left-back, and if they can get a big fee for the 28-year-old in January they may be tempted to cash in.
When Gary Rowett arrived at St Andrews on October 27th 2014 he inherited a group of players depleted of all confidence. Two days earlier a sorry Birmingham City had been humiliated 8-0 at home to Bournemouth and with the club languishing second from bottom of the Championship it was difficult to see where sufficient improvements could be made to turn things around. The squad was bloated in quantity yet notably lacked in quality and with just two wins from fourteen were becoming accustomed to accepting their fate. Brum looked doomed for the drop.
With no time nor opportunity to overhaul personnel Rowett did what he had previously done on taking charge at Burton and what he would later do at Derby: he applied a great big dollop of common sense.
First the shape of the team changed, to a solid and disciplined 4-2-3-1 with players actually employed in their best positions. That was hardly radical. Next up an experienced centre-half in the form of Michael Morrison was loaned in from Charlton. Again, not exactly innovative. Lastly the 39-year-old coach worked his players hard on the training pitch, concentrating on defensive shape and game structure.
The following weekend, in Rowett’s first game in command and indeed his first experience of managing in the second tier his reorganised, rebooted new side drew away to Wolves and from there they never looked back. Seven wins from their next ten games revealed the full extent of Birmingham’s transformation and after securing a mid-table berth by the season’s end the unassuming Rowett went on to make the club a profit in the summer transfer window by selling Demarai Gray to Leicester and bringing in a raft of shrewd recruits on frees. The wins meanwhile just kept on coming.
Soccer Football – FA Cup Third Round – Manchester United vs Derby County – Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain – January 5, 2018 Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho shakes hands with Derby County manager Gary Rowett after the match REUTERS/Andrew Yates
When Gary Rowett was sacked on December 14th 2016 the Blues were three points off third spot and chasing promotion.
His highly surprising dismissal appalled the football world with condemnation flaring up on social media regardless of fan’s allegiances. The club’s new owners the casino giants Trillion Trophy Asia were clearly not content to challenge against the odds for the Premier League; what they wanted also was a ‘name’, a sprinkling of stardust in the dug-out and for that they turned to former Chelsea ace Gianfranco Zola. Rowett may have been forging a path as a pragmatic and talented coach but did he ever execute a breath-taking back-heeled goal from a corner? Did he have face recognition abroad? Sadly not.
In a depressingly predictable turn of events Zola lasted barely four months and Birmingham turned to Harry Redknapp, promising cash aplenty to afford him a chance to halt the club’s disastrous freefall.
Rowett, for his part, kept a dignified silence throughout and nobody would have blamed him one iota for taking time out from a game that admired him dispassionately before dumping on him from a great height. Instead though, for the third successive time, he took up the reins at a club where he had previously played during his long career as a defender of merit.
With Derby County’s play-off hopes extinguished Steve McClaren took the dreaded call from the chairman and in his place Rowett immediately set about reviving the Rams’ fortunes with three wins and a draw in his opening four games. Once again there was very little evidence of alchemy afoot, just plain old common sense and self-belief instilled into a team that was starting to doubt itself. And with an ultimately respectable ninth place secured Rowett undertook a summer overhaul the likes of which he has never been bestowed with before.
There is a widely held insistence that bargain buys are now a thing of the past in an industry overflowing with unimaginable wealth but bringing in the top flight experience of Curtis Davies, Cameron Jerome, Joe Ledley, and Tom Huddlestone for a combined sum of £4m represents a collective steal. Add to that the criminally underrated Tom Lawrence and two players in Andre Wisdom and Sam Winnall with something to prove and the losses of Tom Ince and Will Hughes have barely been felt this term.
Barely been felt? Hell, Derby are flying. Last week Rowett returned to St Andrew’s with his side leaving shortly after with the three points after a comprehensive 3-0 win and goodness knows how sweet that felt. This Friday evening they host Bristol City in a top six clash that could see the Rams further consolidate their automatic promotion placing.
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This past week also saw Rowett in the news when Stoke City came calling, the Premier League finally recognising there is a coach a level below who creates winning sides built on solid foundations and does do without making a fuss. True to type, the in-demand gaffer extended his contract with his present employers instead.
The virtues Gary Rowett has displayed both in his coaching and in all the other commitments that come with his job may be considered old fashioned by some. Indeed they have already unfairly cost him a position in favour of a perceived burst of glitz and glamour lacking in substance. That won’t happen again. Rowett and Derby are going places and they both intend to do it the right way.
Liverpool suffered a disappointing 3-2 defeat against West Bromwich Albion in the third round of the FA Cup at Anfield on Saturday, and Reds fans have urged their club to sign Leicester City attacker Riyad Mahrez before the January transfer window slams shut on Wednesday.
The loss against the Baggies was their second in the space of five days after they were beaten 1-0 by Premier League bottom side Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on Monday night, and it remains to be seen whether manager Jurgen Klopp could yet dip into the transfer market in the remaining days of the window.
The Merseyside outfit are yet to replace Philippe Coutinho following his move to Barcelona, and it seems as though the Anfield faithful believe that Mahrez, who has scored eight goals and provided a further eight assists in 24 top flight appearances this season, could be the player to fill the void.
Liverpool supporters were quick to have their say on the Algerian winger via social media, and while one said “just sign Mahrez and save us from all these nightmares”, another said “sign him before it’s too late”.
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has attracted interest from other clubs, according to Sky Sports.
What’s the word?
So far, the Spanish coach has stayed loyal to the Magpies ever since he took over in March 2016.
Transfer windows have not gone to plan for Benitez, but the 57-year-old has a good relationship with the fans, who have given the coach hero status.
After failing to keep Newcastle in the Premier League during his first three months in charge, the Spaniard guided the club back to the top tier by winning the Championship in the 2016-17 season.
In the current campaign, the Magpies are fighting for survival as they sit just one point above the relegation zone, but Benitez’s job has not been in doubt from the club’s point of view.
According to Sky Sports, the manager has a number of suitors keeping a close eye on his situation at St James’ Park.
The broadcaster believes that Newcastle will struggle to keep hold of Benitez if a proposed takeover does not go through and Mike Ashley remains in charge.
Could Benitez be tempted away?
As the report states, a lot will depend on the direction that the club are heading in with regards to new owners.
Benitez has made his unhappiness with lack of transfer funds clear before, and that could be a main priority of his when deciding his future.
The Spaniard has a strong pedigree having coached Valencia, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Napoli and Real Madrid.
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If the opportunity comes along for Benitez to be coaching a team vying for titles and trophies, nobody could blame him for moving on from Newcastle.
The North-East outfit are a long way from competing for silverware.
Rafael Leao is the next Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang according to some. To others he’s the next Gabriel Jesus, though given that the brilliant Brazilian is still a mere twenty years of age it could be said that a fully developed Gabriel Jesus is the next Gabriel Jesus. Whatever the truth is Leao – an 18-year-old starlet accumulating professional experience at Sporting B and on the cusp of promotion to the Sporting first team – is one of the hottest striking properties in the world right now with an array of attributes that astonishes for one so young.
Naturally then the roll-call of prospective buyers amounts to some very familiar names. Real Madrid are reportedly keen, as too Manchester United. Chelsea have been thrown into the mix also but with less plausibility. And topping the list and leading the chase is Manchester City with a figure of £25m being bandied around as gospel. Though Transfermarkt value him at £1.35m.
Between now and August we can expect a multitude of players linked to a multitude of clubs and some will be very far-fetched and made up in blogger’s spare bedrooms while others make perfect sense. This one lies at the latter end of the scale. This one really could happen.
Firstly though let’s concentrate on the player himself. Tall, pacy and powerful is always a good start for any forward but when it’s coupled to quick feet, an equally rapid footballing brain, and no preference for going one side over the other when facing a retreating opponent then suddenly people start talking.
His seven goals in 12 games for Sporting B has already seen him rewarded with a Portugal Under-21 cap and a fast-track to the more challenging climes of the Primeira Liga with Sporting where he enjoyed a 41 minute debut earlier this month. He widely impressed and especially so his coach Jorge Jesus who said soon after: “He is a strong kid and he was serene. Everything he did was done with quality. We will work step-by-step with Leao, who is one of the great talents our academy has.”
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What makes his swift emergence all the more remarkable is that Jesus is hardly known for trusting in youth. Sometimes though, so good is the prospect that exceptions have to be made.
Last October, Sporting extended the teenager’s contract to 2022 while upping his release clause to €60m but even this inflated figure for a player with so little game-time at an elite level won’t put off potential bidders. City are expected to return this summer after their initial water-tester of £22.2m was strongly rebuffed recently and here is where a direct comparison with Gabriel Jesus certainly can be made.
The Blues’ pursuit of the Brazilian international was ruthless and motivated, out-manoeuvring Barcelona and Real Madrid who each believed they were in serious contention. Consequently Pep Guardiola secured a young superstar for a fee of £27m that is already looking an absolute steal. Crucially they tried to replicate this approach with Kylian Mbappe but were unable to tie him down at an early juncture with the French forward then becoming the centre point of a ferocious bidding war that eventually escalated to a farcical sum.
Lessons were learned in both instances with the first acting as confirmation that quick, decisive action is always the best approach when targeting emerging talent. Mbappe meanwhile was a mistake that the club is determined not to repeat anytime soon.
It is worth considering how City’s first bid was allowed to enter the public domain in the first place with a leak from the Portuguese club the most likely origin. Sporting will understandably be very keen for other bidders to enter the fray and whipping up an auction will surely result in a colossal pay-day if such a strategy is successful. For their part City will be resolved to head such a plan off at the pass by swooping early and strong within weeks of the summer transfer window opening.
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This is the intriguing proposition that awaits us in the months ahead and that’s before we even get to the mouth-watering idea of Leao cutting his baby-teeth in the Premier League, raw and sensational and learning each and every week under the expert tutorage of the Spanish Grandmaster.
Guardiola has already reportedly said privately that should the 18-year-old be secured he has no intention of loaning him out in a similar vein to so many of Manchester City’s youthful talent. Leao would instead be assimilated into the first team squad, presumably on the periphery but adding to an attacking arsenal that has broken records this term for their goal-scoring prowess.
A front three of Leao, Jesus and Sane ripping into top flight defences next year with nascent relish is a realistic possibility then. Their average age will be twenty. They will be coached by an individual who improves players ten-fold. Just the pace alone among the trio is frightening as hell. God help us all.
Arsenal fans think their club has sunk as low as it possibly can, Newcastle fans beg to differ.
The Gunners lost 3-0 to Manchester City on Thursday night for the second time in a week, adding Premier League misery to their Carabao Cup heartache.
Bernardo Silva, David Silva and Leroy Sane all scored wonderful goals for the visitors, but what was most noticeable was the lack of Arsenal fans in the ground. The weather conditions may have played a role, but the Manchester City fans that packed out the away section might dispute that fact.
Following another lifeless performance from Arsene Wenger’s team, several Gunners took to twitter, claiming “it’s tough to be a Gooner”, despite the North London club lifting the FA Cup three times in the last four years.
Newcastle fans were less than impressed with that attitude – the Tyneside club hasn’t won a major honour since 1955. Some of them took to twitter to comment on Arsenal’s supposed misery.
According to reports in The Mirror, West Ham United midfielder Pedro Obiang, rated at £8.1m by Transfermarkt, could be the subject of a summer bid from Serie A side Fiorentina.
What’s the word, then?
Well, The Mirror says that the Italian club are plotting a fresh move for the Spaniard having initially shown an interest in the 25-year-old during the January transfer window.
However, no deal materialised and Obiang has since been ruled out until the end of the season having picked up a knee injury in the 2-0 defeat against Wigan Athletic in the fourth round of the FA Cup at the DW Stadium last month.
The Mirror adds that Fiorentina want the midfielder to replace Milan Badelj, who looks likely to leave on a free transfer when his contract expires this summer.
How has Obiang done this season?
The Spaniard became a real key player for West Ham last term and finished third in the club’s Player of the Year award, but like many of his teammates he hasn’t shown the same level of performance this term.
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The 25-year-old often came under fire from the London Stadium faithful for his displays in the middle of the park, but he still made 26 appearances in all competitions prior to his injury.
Would West Ham sell him this summer?
If they received a good offer for the midfielder, they would probably consider it.
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The Mirror says that David Moyes is looking to bring two new midfielders to the club and if that is the case – and with the likes of Mark Noble, Manuel Lanzini and Cheikhou Kouyate already in their ranks – it could mean that at least one will be on their way out.
What’s the verdict, then?
Well, it seems certain that Moyes will look to shake-up his midfield options if he stays as manager this summer, and it would be no surprise to see Obiang sacrificed if the club receive good money for him from Fiorentina, with the Scottish boss looking to push the club on next season.
Leeds fans do not think Caleb Ekuban is good enough for the club, after the striker revealed all on his injuries and goal drought.
Ekuban moved to Elland Road last summer from Italian side Chievo Verona. The 23 year-old had enjoyed an extremely successful loan spell at Albanian side Partizani Tirana, where he had grabbed 17 goals in league games.
The Ghanaian striker had high hopes when he joined Leeds, but told the Yorkshire Evening Post injuries “killed” his first year at the club.
“It’s been tough but it’s all about learning and growing up. I had a couple of injuries that, let’s say, killed the season for me personally, but now I’m back and I’m trying to find my rhythm,” Ekuban said.
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“I’ve had quite a lot of opportunities to play and I just hope to get the momentum going.”
The 23-year-old miss the first part of the season with a foot injury, only to break his foot almost immediately on his return to action. He returned once again in the 2-1 defeat at Sheffield Untied in February, but has failed to really cement a place since then.
“The more you play as a striker the more you feel confidence. That’s what I’m searching for and, hopefully, I can score one or two goals and have more confidence in myself. I just need to read situations better and have the chance to score.”
There’s no doubt the striker will be struggling for confidence, having started just six leagues games so far for Leeds, and still without a league goal. He nearly found the net against Reading on Saturday, and has vowed to start finding the net for his side.
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Leeds fans have been discussing the quotes on Twitter, and unfortunately for Ekuban it seems most have already given up.
Some of the best Twitter reaction can be found below…
Liverpool midfielder James Milner has lavished praise on Reds teammate Andrew Robertson, claiming that the full-back ‘has been brilliant’ this season.
Robertson joined Liverpool from Hull City in last summer’s transfer window, and initially struggled for action due to Alberto Moreno’s presence at left-back.
An injury to Moreno in December opened the door for Robertson, however, and the Scotland international has been an ever-present for Jurgen Klopp’s team in recent weeks.
Indeed, the 24-year-old has started each of his team’s last nine Premier League matches, and made his Champions League debut in the 5-0 win over Porto last month.
Milner has said that Robertson’s qualities both offensively and defensively have made him a key player for the Reds during the 2017-18 campaign.
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Milner told Premier League Productions in quotes carried by Liverpool’s official website:
“Robbo has been brilliant. I’ll help where I can but he’s a good player – he has shown that going forward and defensively as well. Sometimes you just see him going forward but he does some great work defensively as well.
“He is a great lad to have around the dressing room. He is similar to how he plays on the pitch, a bubbly character. We love that as a group, it’s fantastic.”
Robertson, who is currently on Scotland duty, is expected to be in the Liverpool XI for Saturday’s trip to struggling Crystal Palace.