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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Manchester City have stepped up their efforts to sign Inter right-back Maicon, The Guardian state.
Roberto Mancini has admitted that his side must strengthen their squad before the end of the transfer window if they are to challenge on all fronts this term, but as yet Jack Rodwell has been the only addition this summer.
The Premier League champions have been frustrated in their attempts to sign the likes of Daniele De Rossi and Javi Martinez, whilst a deal to bring Scott Sinclair to the Etihad Stadium still hangs in the balance.
Maicon has less than a year left on his contract in Italy, and the player’s agent has confirmed that there is interest from Mancini’s men.
“There is interest from Manchester City, Real Madrid and Chelsea in the player,” Roberto Calenda confirmed.
“There is no possibility that he goes to Milan or Juventus. He has worn the Nerazzurri shirt for six seasons and has too much respect for the fans to betray them in that manner. He could also yet remain at Inter.”
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Inter are rumoured to be willing to sell the veteran South American defender for around €6 million (£4.7m).
According to Goal.com, Everton are eyeing former Watford and Hull manager Marco Silva to take the club forward in the long term.
Silva was first choice to replace Ronaldo Koeman in October. But the Portuguese manager decided to stay to Watford and former England manager Sam Allardyce took the hot seat.
What’s the story?
Allardyce steadied the ship and it looks like he will keep the Toffees up this year. However, he has not been a popular figure around the club. Fans were opposed to his appointment as they felt that he is not the man to take the club forward.
Allardyce is adamant that he will remain at the club next season but Goal.com are reporting that the club are keeping their options open.
The Toffees have several options available to them and will assess these over the summer. They have been linked with Eddie Howe, Duncan Ferguson, Louis van Gaal and Roberto Mancini.
Everton should gamble on Silva
Despite Everton having a number of options, Silva would not be the safe choice.
He has shown in small glimpses that he is a very good manager but is yet to prove himself across an entire Premier League season. The way he left Watford could put Everton off, too.
Sticking with Big Sam or hiring someone like Van Gaal or Mancini would be safe choices for the Merseyside club.
While they have a proven track record, they would be short-term appointments. Bill Kenwright and Farhad Moshiri should appoint someone who can implement a long-term plan at the club.
Silva is only 40-years-old and has the potential to become a great manager – he proved at Hull that he can revitalise a squad. At Watford, he showed he is shrewd in the transfer market, signing the likes of Richarlison, Nathanial Chalobah, Will Hughes and Andre Grey.
His time at Watford ended sourly and it was clear that the attention from Everton had distracted him. However, before this, he had taken the Hornets from fighting to stay in the league to a top-eight side.
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On the face of it, Everton have a very good squad. A few signings in the summer and appointing Silva could see Everton finally fulfil the ambition their fans expect. He got the best out of an average Hull squad and made Watford an extremely dangerous side.
It might be a gamble but Marco Silva would be a gamble worth taking.
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.
Horst Heldt say Schalke will not let Real Madrid and Arsenal target Julian Draxler leave the club in the summer, according to Goal.
The winger has been in fine form for the Gelsenkirchen outfit this season, leading to reports linking him with a move to a host of Europe’s top clubs in the summer.
However, Heldt has denied the claims and says the club have no intention of letting the 19-year-old leave at the end of the campaign.
“There is no exit clause and we have no intention of selling Julian at the end of this season. He is feeling very well at the club and is the face of Schalke,” Heldt was quoted as saying by Bild “What I would say if a €100 million offer came in tomorrow?”
“You can’t blame Julian for having the desire to play at one of his dream clubs in Spain at some point. If Barcelona or Madrid were to offer €100m, we would look at things differently.”
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Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho rang the changes for the trip to Bournemouth – making seven in all – and gave hope to some of his fringe players that they might force their way into contention for the FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley on Saturday.
In contrast to Saturday’s opponents – Mauricio Pochettino also made alterations but then saw his team held 1-1 by Brighton – United were more fluid as a result and ran out 2-0 winners, with Chris Smalling and Romelu Lukaku securing the win in a routine victory.
Second place looks all but theirs now so their attention can be fully turned to the FA Cup – United’s only remaining chance of silverware – and one man who did his chances of securing a surprise inclusion no harm was Luke Shaw.
The defender, valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, enjoyed a solid return to the first-team on his first start since the FA Cup quarter-final against Brighton, after which he was severely criticised by Mourinho.
Here, he made amends with a solid, energetic performance. In an attacking sense, he showed what he can offer United – that maybe Ashley Young cannot – with three crosses to go with a shot and a key pass apiece.
At the other end, he made four tackles and two clearances against a lively home attack, which should serve as something of a reminder to Mourinho of his defensive capabilities.
Ashley Young has emerged as something of a lieutenant for Mourinho this season, but the former Aston Villa man has been average at best since he muted Mo Salah at Old Trafford in March.
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If that does open the door to Shaw, he showed here that he is primed to take advantage on Saturday.
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.
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.
Ruben Neves scored yet another ridiculous goal for Wolves on Tuesday night, and Leeds fans don’t seem too confident they’ll get the same from Eunan O’Kane anytime soon.
Wolves moved one step closer to a title-winning promotion last night, as they ran out 2-0 winners over playoff chasing Derby County.
The home side took the lead early on thanks to Diego Jota, but it was controversial summer signing Ruben Neves that stole the show, looping an incredible volley into the top corner from 30 yards.
Neves has now scored six times in the Championship this season, all of which have been fantastic goals, and Leeds fans are annoyed that their club for failing in the transfer market.
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While Wolves had a remarkable summer, Leeds fans were underwhelmed by their club’s business, and they weren’t exactly convinced when owner Andrea Radrizzani claimed he would follow the Wolves model this coming summer.
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Leeds are one of the biggest clubs in the Championship, but their fans are fed up of seeing the same old mistakes year after year, and Neves’ wondergoal was the icing on a very depressing cake.
Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
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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