All posts by h79snht.top

Touted by many as a future Tottenham club captain, the career of Younes Kaboul has taken a disappointing turn. The 27 year old has been plagued by injury in recent seasons and questions remain over whether the French centre half can ever recapture the kind of form that had made him such a force in the Premier League.

Knee injuries are bad at the best of times, but for Kaboul this couldn’t have really been any worse. Out for well over a year and yet to ever return to full fitness, the future looks bleak. Spurs themselves share this pessimism, with his contract up in the summer it is anyone’s guess where the Frenchman will be plying his trade come September. AC Milan have already been mooted as potential suitors according to the Mirror, and it is clear a number of clubs will be interested in the Frenchman when he becomes available in January.

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For Spurs it would represent a huge shame, on his day Kaboul is as good as anyone at the back. The perfect mix of defensive physicality and cultured ball-playing ability, Kaboul very much fits the Spurs mould. The City game embodied the fall from grace though, for me Kaboul is in a bracket above Dawson defensively, but on that infamous afternoon they both looked as inept as each other.

Kaboul seems unsure of himself and largely off the pace, a sad sight for those that revelled in his best days. His return has been intermittent and underwhelming, and many question whether the Frenchman can ever return. We saw it with Aaron Ramsey, serious issue breeds uncertainty and often leaves the individual bereft of the self belief that made them such a force in the first place.

It is a tough call; Spurs have outgrown Dawson and without another fit centre half they are woefully short. Vertonghen and Chiriches would appear the long-term centre half partnership, but aside from that there isn’t a lot of depth.

Persevere with Kaboul or look to change things in January?

For me this is another head over heart argument. There is always the belief that Kaboul can get back to the level he was at before, but for me it is a question of time. Spurs have ambitions in the short term and the shrewd move would be to cut their losses and change things up.

Who knows Kaboul could find some semblance of his former self on the continent, this is just a risk the club will have to bear. I think the pragmatists amongst you will see the need for depth during the busy festive period and in the ensuing months. The possibility for a number of cup runs and a tilt at the title, Spurs need to have four fit and firing centre halves and until they sort the Kaboul problem I see them falling behind.

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It will be with a heavy heart that Spurs and Kaboul part ways, but in my opinion it is a necessary one. Some may see this as ruthless and perhaps even heartless, but unfortunately this is the nature of our game.

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Luuk de Jong has issued a come and get me plea to Newcastle United, according to Chronicle Live.

Alan Pardew is a long term admirer of the Dutch forward, and has been linked with a January move.

De Jong has admitted he is open to joining the Magpies, and has already “imagined” completing the deal this January.

Newcastle will be looking to bounce back from a controversial defeat at home to Manchester City by turning their attentions to the transfer market.

The club are reportedly still discussing a loan fee for the former FC Twente man with German club Borussia Monchengladbach, where De Jong has fallen out of favour.

When asked about Newcastle’s interest, De Jong said over the weekend: “I can imagine going.

“My coach will change things in the second half but not that much.”

De Jong was referring to the lack of first team football he has had with the Bundesliga club, having totalling just 85 minutes of action so far this season.

“I want to play longer than three to five minutes. It’s no fun,” he added.

“The coach does not give me the feeling that he continues he will build firmly around me.

“He does not talk much with me. It was a first half (of the season) to forget.”

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Newcastle have reportedly turned down a bid of £9million from an unnamed Qatar club for Papiss Cisse, with Pardew unwilling to let the Senegal forward leave until signing a replacement.

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According to reports in The Telegraph, Chelsea are close to completing the £15m signing of Tottenham Hotspur target and Everton midfielder Ross Barkley, and Spurs fans have been quick to have their say on the news.

The north London outfit have long been linked with a move for the England international and were keen to sign him last summer, but they look set to lose out to their neighbours from the capital with The Telegraph reporting that chairman Daniel Levy was hoping to sign the 24-year-old on a free transfer at the end of the season – when the player’s contract is due to run out – rather than this month.

It remains unclear whether Spurs could still make a last-gasp bid to try and bring the player to Wembley given that manager Mauricio Pochettino is a long-term admirer, but it seems unlikely as things stand.

Tottenham supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the rumour, and while one said that he ‘feels sorry for Poch’, another said that he was “completely flabbergasted” that that the club are seemingly ready to allow him to join Chelsea.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Andros Townsend has for a lot of people been the stand-out player for Tottenham this season. A breakthrough year for the young English starlet has seen him become a regular Premier League starter and also earned him his first caps at international level.

I don’t doubt that he is a very gifted footballer, and in fact I believe he will go on to achieve great things at Spurs, but for me people at the moment are slightly sensationalising things.

Townsend is a player that flatters; unbelievable bursts of pace down the flank and an ability to beat his man with consummate ease. Fans like to see this kind of football because it is easy on the eye, but my view is that it isn’t quite as effective as people might think.

Pace isn’t everything, there is a reason why Olympic sprinters aren’t all footballers and in my opinion Townsend needs to develop his game to become more than just a one-dimensional roadrunner. This was always the criticism of Aaron Lennon, and if Townsend can learn lessons from the experienced Englishman he will be well on track to further himself.

I’m probably being a littler harsh; Townsend can deliver world-class crosses and finish from almost anywhere, but in my opinion he doesn’t do it enough. In the league has one goal from a mishit cross, and a shot accuracy of just 53% says it all. He looks to me like he is trying to emulate Bale, when he should realise that he can become so much more dynamic than just always cutting in and taking an opportunistic shot.

Many were disappointed to see AVB switch to playing Sigurdsson and Lennon together, but in my view it was a change that made perfect sense. Townsend blows hot and cold, often goes missing and suffers from inconsistency. I’m not saying that Lennon doesn’t, but at the moment he is a much more reliable option.

I think with Townsend it is easy to forget that he is still on 22 and taking part in what is really his first fully season for the club at first team level. Fans needed a saviour after losing Bale and Townsend was the easy messiah figure to attach themselves to. He could well become that world-class replacement and I really hope he does; but people that think he is already at that level are extremely naïve.

Townsend has been impressive at points and I can only really draw comparisons with Lennon during his first few seasons at the club. Fans had this misconception that he was a lot more dangerous than he actually was, flatter to deceive and in many was conning people inadvertently.

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Statistics aren’t always necessarily the best barometer for how well someone is playing; but in the case of Townsend his goal and assist totals really highlight the point.

AVB is right to treat him as he does Lamela, at similar stages in their development and arguably with as promising futures. Spurs have a future star in their midst if they play their cards right, keeping expectations low is of paramount importance.

Barcelona midfield man Cesc Fabregas will make a decision on his future next week after increased interest from the Premier League, according to the Daily Mirror.

The former Arsenal captain has failed to secure a regular first team spot at the Nou Camp with Andres Iniesta and Xavi playing in a similar role.

New Manchester United manager David Moyes is apparently a big fan of the Spanish international and the Premier League champions have been heavily linked with a move for the Fabregas this summer.

The Catalan club have dismissed reports that their man is set to leave Spain this summer but the Mirror claims that will not be the end of this saga for the summer.

Arsenal have forced a clause in Fabregas’ contract whereby they have to be informed if any club makes a bid for their former player to give them a chance of resigning a fans favourite.

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has endured a difficult campaign fraught with criticism at every turn, but with the club seemingly timing their good run of form at precisely the right time, should they achieve a top-four finish and secure Champions League football for a 17th consecutive season, will it rank as one of his greatest managerial achievements at the club?

First things first, Wenger clearly deserves great credit for keeping the club in the mix for a top four spot this season. After a summer of great upheaval off the pitch was saw long-time assistant Pat Rice retire and the club’s leading striker Robin van Persie secure a move to Manchester United, many tipped the club to miss out considering the relative strength of their rivals Tottenham, while Everton also looked to be pushing for a return to Europe’s elite, while Chelsea were trying to re-establish themselves after spending big in the summer after a disappointing sixth-placed finish last season.

However, with Andre Villas-Boas’ side struggling to juggle their league and Europa League commitments successfully in recent weeks, after dropping points against Fulham, Liverpool and Everton, similar to last season, they have started to close a seven-point gap on their rivals to sit just two points behind them with a game in hand and seven fixtures left to play. Last season the club clinched an improbable third-placed finish after a tremendous run of form down the home straight as they overhauled a 12-point gap between themselves and Harry Redknapp’s out-0f-sorts side.

It seems just as Wigan seem to avoid the drop every campaign while others around them lose their heads by putting together a decent run of form at the right time, Arsenal are the top-four equivalent at the other end of the table and they used their experience at just the right time while Tottenham and Everton have been up and down and Chelsea remain focused on winning a piece of silverware. At this stage of the season, it’s certainly better to be in a position to be chasing something rather than holding on, and at the moment you’d have to back Arsenal to clinch either third or fourth after winning their last three league games on the bounce since beating Bayern Munich away from home in the Champions League shortly after losing the north London derby 2-1 at White Hart Lane.

Not only has replacing van Persie proved to be something of a selection headache this season, there have been various other issues, albeit minor when placed in the larger context of 20 teams competing to finish as highly as possible, but when piled together make a substantial impact on the shape and feel of the side.

Theo Walcott’s contractual dispute which dominated the headline, captain Thomas Vermaelen suffering from a crisis of form and confidence and eventually being dropped from the side, Wojciech Szczeny struggling with injury and then his father’s outburst in the media, Bacary Sagna going off the boil, the departure of Alex Song, the constant state of worry surrounding Jack Wilshere’s fitness and the overwhelming need of the fans to turn someone into a scapegoat, reported issues with new assistant Steve Bould, not to mention their terrible record against top-four opposition this term and defensive fragility. Overcoming all of these problems has proved difficult, often tiresome, but they are still there and retain a chance of clinching a top four spot which says a lot about the man in charge.

There are still legitimate criticisms to be levelled at Wenger, namely that the lack of quality within the squad which is entirely of his own making, while he continues to emplace trust in several players that are patently not up to the job and pursue an increasingly dogmatic style of play, lacking any sort of plan B against top level opposition. He appears to regard a top-four finish as more important than silverware and has been responsible for the zealot-like pursuit of of Financial Fair Play which has seen the club grow less and less competitive in the transfer market. He’s a absurdly stubborn individual and he and Arsenal remain a ridiculously frustrating duo.

Clinching a top-four place would still be a massive achievement, though, even if it doesn’t let him completely off the hook for all the needless and wholly preventable mess he has made of certain situations. Looking at Arsenal’s fixture list, with games against QPR, Norwich, Newcastle, Wigan and Fulham, they seem capable of keeping their recent run going for a little while longer yet, even if they face difficult home games against Manchester United and Everton.

When you compare and contrast this with Tottenham’s, which includes games against Manchester City, Chelsea and a seriously in-form Southampton side that’s already claimed the scalps of Liverpool and the aforementioned duo in recent weeks and their run-in starts to look a lot more tricky, particularly keeping in mind their Europa League campaign, Gareth Bale’s fitness issues and their drastic loss of form. Their ability to shoot themselves in the foot just when it looks as if they may be turning a corner and building something to last knows no bounds.

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It’s far from a foregone conclusion yet, and Chelsea could yet come into the mix even more than their north London rivals, but given the context of losing their best player in the summer, having to blood in three new attackers in the form of Olivier Giroud, Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski, while losing the last derby game and facing constant questions over his future after losing the support of large swathes of the club’s fans, Wenger could still pull off a huge coup. There are sure to be plenty of twists and turns yet, but you’d have to say with the what he’s currently got at his disposal in terms of quality and depth, few could do a better job at Arsenal than the Frenchman.

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Paul Pogba seems to be the most sought-after player in the world at the moment with every well-known club being linked to tempting the Frenchman into a summer move away from Juventus.

It is believed a bid of at least £72million would be needed to lure him away from Juve with his current deal with the Italian side lasting until 2019.

Two of the clubs in the race to sign the midfielder are Manchester rivals both on the hunt for a title win. After last year’s big money signings didn’t go quite as according to plan for Louis van Gaal he is already registering his interest ready for a big summer shake up at Old Trafford. As long as United qualify for the Champions League there will be another £100m available to spend on transfers and it looks like most of this could be put up for a bid for Pogba.

The French midfielder has, of course, already played for the Red Devils but he left on a free in 2012. He is seen as one of the “ones that got away” and having already played for United he could be tempted to re-join his own side having not parted in bad terms, he just wanted to play more football.

While he is a fantastic player it is slightly hard to picture where he would fit in to the Red Devils’ side. Van Gaal likes to play 4-3-3 and as he is described as one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world you struggle to see a role for him. United certainly need more strength in midfield and the 6ft 2in Frenchman could certainly provide that. Of course there is an argument that he could probably fit into any team in the world just fine but it probably wouldn’t be a smooth transition (Angel Di Maria anyone?)

Manchester City are keen to sign Pogba as the “heir” to Yaya Toure. It is thought they are ready to put as much as £100m up for the man of the moment and he could become the most expensive player ever sold. Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, believes that City are leading the race to sign him in another bid.

Yaya Toure has been far from his best this season and it looks like Pellegrini is keen to bring in some younger talent. Fans are well aware that Man City is an “ageing” team and Pogba would change the demographic of the side. His pace and skill would bring in some creativity that has been lacking this season in midfield and as City try and conquer the Champions League he would be a keen signing as someone who as excelled in the competition. As well as bringing in skill he will bring in a knowledge of how teams on the continent play and excel in the Champions League.

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There is still a long way to go before Pogba’s future will be decided and I am sure it will all come down to who can splash the most cash. Manchester needs to look out- Barcelona and PSG have entered the race now.

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Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal stole the show at the club’s annual awards ceremony on Tuesday night.

After shouting “Hello, hello, pay attention to the manager!” he continued to amuse everyone in the room and reminded people just why he is the perfect man for the job.

When Sir Alex Ferguson announced that he was going to retire at the end of the 2012/13 season many were worried about what would happen. The next season was turbulent with chosen successor David Moyes struggling with the pressure, which saw him lose his job only 10 months later.

After club legend Ryan Giggs took over until the end of the season, the former Netherland’s coach came in on a three-year-deal with Giggs staying on as his assistant.

Van Gaal has had a mixed first season in the Premier League but the reception he received at the last home game of the season and the awards dinner showed how much the fans have grown to love the Dutchman. He endured a nightmare start to life at Old Trafford when the Red Devils lost their opening game of the season to Swansea and then were shockingly knocked out of the Capital One Cup by League One side MK Dons.

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Training has been tough under the 63-year-old but it seems to have paid off, and the team have bonded under the pressure. Captain Wayne Rooney said: “”I think the first few months it was different, we found it tough and I think that probably showed in our performances.

“But since then I think everyone has seen the quality of football we’ve been playing and I’m sure with the experience the manager has got we’ll kick on from that, learn a lot and it will benefit us.”

Van Gaal feared that the fans would not get behind him after this unplanned start but it has been completely the opposite. Speaking to the press, he said: “I have been asked recently what the biggest highlight of my first season as manager of Manchester United and the answer is always the same – the support of the fans.”

“For me, it is unbelievable and something I have not experienced at the other clubs I have managed.”

The team have secured 4th and a spot in next season’s Champions League and with one game to go, Van Gaal has managed to get a 61% win rate in all competitions. Not bad for a club that started so poorly.

The atmosphere at Old Trafford has gone back to the Ferguson years. All is not perfect, though, but it was always going to take time. Now there is a belief in the team and the management that wasn’t there during David Moyes’ short spell.

Team captain Wayne Rooney believes that this season will be a platform for future success for the squad and next season they can go on and really challenge for the title. The 29-year-old said: “We’ve done what we wanted to do this season.

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“The main aim was to get back in the Champions League. We’ve done that and we know we’ve got the quality in the squad to push on.”

The fans and the team have spoken. Van Gaal could be staying at United for a long time and they are all very happy about it. After a tough start, it is clear everyone involved with Manchester United believes Van Gaal has been a success.

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Everton manager Sam Allardyce has made it clear that he wants to recruit a new striker before the January transfer window closes.

At the moment, Besiktas forward Cenk Tosun is high up on the list, but the negotiations are not running smoothly.

According to The Times, the Turkish club have upped the price tag to £27m, which is £2m more than the Merseyside outfit were hoping to pay.

Despite the current stumbling block, the Daily Mail report that Tosun’s camp are confident that the deal will go through.

Everton have struggled in the attacking department throughout the season having found the back of the net 25 times in 22 Premier League games.

Romelu Lukaku, who left the Toffees to join Manchester United in the summer, scored 25 goals on his own last season, and without the striker, the blue half of Merseyside have suffered.

It is certainly the area that Everton fans feel that the club need to strengthen.

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After hearing the latest news surrounding Tosun, supporters posted their views on Twitter.

With Arsenal’s hunt for a top four finish and another season of Champions League football progressing nicely since the turn of the year, one of the stars of the show for the North London side has been Santi Cazorla.

The Spanish midfielder’s range of passing and ability to release the Gunners’ quick attacking players has been a key element in the Emirates Stadium outfit winning most of their games in 2015 so far. At the home of the champions, the former Malaga playmaker ran the show and was voted man of the match in the visitors’ 2-0 victory over Manchester City.

However, in the disappointing 2-1 defeat to local rivals Tottenham, Cazorla was identified as the danger-man, shackled by the Spurs midfield and had a limited influence as a result. This all goes to show that Cazorla is an essential cog in the Arsenal wheel, with the Spain international being handed the captain’s armband for the most recent victory over Everton.

With the Spaniard playing some scintillating football, it is an interesting side note that he has been operating in a deeper position. In Arsene Wenger’s bespoke 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 formation, Cazorla has been deployed in a holding role of sorts alongside Francis Coquelin.

With the 30-year-old usually preferring to play further forward in a role behind a central striker or even on a wing, it has been intriguing to see Cazorla revel in a new position. However, with a new role comes added responsibilities, which can be both positive and negative.

Here are the pros and cons to Cazorla’s tactical change compared with his usual more forward-thinking position:

Pros

The old adage ‘if it’s not broken, don’t fix it’ springs to mind here, and as such, Wenger will be reluctant to remove Cazorla from the boiler room given his extraordinary performances of late. The Spanish schemer has had to play in the centre of the park due to ongoing injury concerns for Mikel Arteta, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey, but he has arguably been doing a better job than the crocked trio.

In a deeper role, Cazorla inevitably sees a lot more of the ball and can orchestrate the ebb and flow of Arsenal’s possession as a result. His precise passing from deeper has allowed him to find the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck in space, while he has coped with the defensive responsibilities that come with the role without major incident.

Playing the Spaniard deeper also allows an extra attacking player to flood the three man line behind a lone striker and can also give Mesut Ozil the chance to play centrally rather than be shunted onto the wing.

All in all, the positives of playing Cazorla deeper certainly add up.

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Cons

Despite the success that Cazorla has been having in his new role, there is a feeling that the Spaniard is a square peg in in a round hole, and another stopgap in Arsenal’s longstanding midfield dilemma. The added defensive responsibilities will surely have a physical impact on a player whose game is technically focussed, while against top opposition, his presence in the space in front of the Arsenal defence could actually be seen as a weakness.

Cazorla may well have scored seven Premier League goals this season, but six of those have come from the penalty spot – the exception was against Newcastle back in December. Compare this to the Spaniard’s debut campaign at the club in 2012-13, where he scored 12 times. Playing Cazorla deeper removes his individual attacking threat, and robs Arsenal of a player capable of scoring when he gets into the box.

Verdict

It will be interesting to see just how Wenger uses Cazorla when the likes of Ramsey, Arteta and Wilshere are available again, but the veteran’s versatility must be seen as a major plus.

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In the long run the Spanish star is probably best utilised in a more advanced role but he has shown his pedigree by slipping into central midfield almost seamlessly this season.

Arsenal fans – where would you want to see Cazorla play?

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