Ajax striker Luis Suarez has been mooted as a target for big name Premier League clubs Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City, but has been linked most prevalently with Manchester United.

The Uruguayan has become hot property this summer after his performances for both his club and his country in the World Cup.

The 23-year-old enjoyed a great 2009/10 season for Eredivisie club Ajax scoring an astonishing 49 in 48 games. Because of his goal record he has naturally caught the eye of Europe’s elite, but his stock could rise even further as his native Uruguay are having a great World Cup campaign and are due to meet South Korea in the second round.

Suarez comes with a hefty price tag, which is believed to be around £30+ million and some are critical of the Dutch top flight and some of its stars (remember Mateja Kezman?).

Now that Wayne Rooney is the main man in the Red Devils’ setup I am not sure where Suarez could fit into a side where the former Everton man has been so prolific as a lone striker. However, Suarez has a great relationship with Uruguay and Atletico Madrid’s ex-United forward Diego Forlan at international level.

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On the other hand, Manchester United seemed to struggle at times last season when Rooney was absent through injury. Some of the Old Trafford faithful may blame the indifferent form near the end of season (suring Rooney’s layoff) which ended up relinquishing their run as Premier League champions.

The one criticism I would have of Suarez at times would be the fact that his final product (when playing as a supporting striker) can seem hurried, wasteful or not good enough as he showed in his opening World Cup game against France.

Suarez is reportedly happy in Amsterdam, but says if it’s a United or Barcelona in contact with you then you take notice:

“Those are the elite teams of Europe. When they are on the phone you listen.

“But for a club in a category below that, I will not leave. I am having too much of a good time at this club. I feel loved and appreciated and that feels good.”

The Old Trafford outfit will have to be careful with their money though as Dimitar Berbatov is already regarded as a big money flop (a little unfairly in my opinion) that cost in the excess of £30m.

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With United’s £1.1 billion debt as revealed by Sir Alex Ferguson’s favourite TV show Panorama, who suggest that the debt the Glazer family has run up may be catching up with them, the price may be too high. However, judging from his performances for club and country he would surely be a great buy for any of the clubs linked with him.

Would the Manchester United fans like to see their club break the bank for Luis Suarez, or is there enough striking talent at the club already?

Liverpool striker David N'Gog does not harbour any desire to leave Anfield on a permanent or temporary basis.

The 21-year-old was criticised by many Reds fans for his poor displays in a lack-lustre team last season although he did manage to score eight times in 36 matches.

The former Paris St Germain star has been linked with a summer switch to West Brom but is keen to stay on Merseyside and show new boss Roy Hodgson what he can do.

"I know speculation is part of football and we have to deal with it. If we bring in new players, it is good for the team," he said.

"But I am a Liverpool player. I want to be involved in the first team at Liverpool.

"My confidence is good. Now I have to do my job and give my best for the team.

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"I am more experienced now and I want to be involved, play as many games as I can and score goals to help the team win.

"The club had a difficult season last year but I want to prove we can get back into the top four. I am confident about this."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has admitted that it is looking increasingly unlikely that he will be able to prise Cesc Fabregas away from Arsenal this summer.

Barca had made the Gunners skipper their main target this summer, but the chances of the midfielder leaving north London have faded as the weeks have gone by.

The 23-year-old Spain international has said at the end of last term that he would welcome the opportunity to return to the club where he started his career but Arsenal have already rejected one bid for Fabregas from Barca.

"I think bringing in Cesc will cost a lot," Guardiola said at a press conference on Monday. "We want him to come, but if Arsenal don't want to negotiate, he won't come."

Meanwhile, Guardiola has spoken of his decision to sign a new one-year contract with last term's La Liga champions, adding:"I'm very happy to continue for one more year. I want to keep on doing my job well and make people proud of us.

"I feel more comfortable with one-year contracts. I am grateful to the confidence shown in me by the new board in offering me a six-year contract, but I prefer working with short contracts, it's something personal.

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"I need to feel that things are working and that what I am doing is right, but if everything is going well and I feel strong, I will carry on next year.

"I don't see any change but, if after this first year the feedback with the players, the feedback is not good or the results aren't good, I won't stay on."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has no plans to retire following his impressive start to the new season.

The soon to be 36-year-old midfielder took the plaudits after man-of-the-match displays in both the Community Shield victory over Chelsea and Monday night's opening 3-0 Premier League win against Newcastle United.

Scholes has made almost 650 appearances for the Red Devils during 17 seasons in the first team and insists he will carry on playing as long as he continues to enjoy his football.

"I haven't set any limits," said the midfield playmaker."I'll just keep going, hopefully keep playing well and getting in the team and just see where it goes from there.

"It depends on performances and how you play. I did go through last season thinking this might be the last time I played against this team or stuff like that. But I just don't know. My performances will decide when I finish.

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"At 35 I thought that would be it. From being young and first getting into the squad, you just presume everyone will finish at 35 and that's it. Whatever you do after that is a bonus. At the end of last season I felt okay and hopefully this season I will do as well."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

So England have started their qualification campaign for Euro 2012 positively, with solid wins over Bulgaria and Switzerland, but what exactly did we learn from these victories?

1. Jermain Defoe still suffers from inconsistency

Jermain Defoe was arguably England’s best player against Bulgaria, netting a very clinical hat trick. His movement was good and his finishing was excellent, and he posed a threat to the Bulgarian defence the entire time he was on the pitch. However, his peformance against Switzerland was less impressive. Defoe had a number of chances in the game which went to waste and he did not look like a threat to the Swiss defence, a fact which was emphasised when Darren Bent came on and put away a nice finish. Defoe suffers from similar form at Tottenham, where he will often go through barren patches followed by spells when he looks lethal. Inconsistency is the one thing holding Jermain Defoe back from being a top class striker, but at the age of 27 it seems unlikely that this is going to change.

2. Adam Johnson can offer a potent threat

Adam Johnson came on as a sub for Theo Walcott against Bulgaria and Switzerland, and he was very impressive in both of these games. Against Bulgaria Johnson only came on in the 74th minute, but he showed some superb glimpses and buried a good finish for England’s third goal. Against Switzerland he came on in the 13th minute as Walcott came off injured, and was England’s most threatening player. Johnson looks to be a real talent, with pace, excellent dribbling skills and perhaps most importantly, an end product. If he can maintain and improve upon this promising start to his international career, he could be a very big player for England for years to come.

3. Glen Johnson is an asset for the team

Everyone is aware of Glen Johnson’s defensive frailties, which in my view are overstated at times. He does need to improve in this area, but Johnson offers a real threat going forward and gives an added dimension to the England attack. He is a powerful runner, a good dribbler and can provide the final balls that create goal-scoring chances, as he did for Wayne Rooney for the first goal against Switzerland. There are very little alternatives at right-back for England and Johnson has really made this position his own in recent years.

4. Steven Gerrard excels in a central position

Steven Gerrard is still one of England’s key players and he played well in both qualification games, as well as putting in a match winning performance in the friendly against Hungary. Capello has often fielded Gerrard on the left, as he did during the World Cup, and in this position the Liverpool captain did not look at his best. As he is for his club, Gerrard is at his most effective when driving his team forward from the centre of the park, providing great passing ability and a goal-scoring threat from midfield. Against Switzerland he was the creator of the second goal, providing an incisive pass which Adam Johnson finished with aplomb. Gerrard must play centrally for England, and you get the impression Capello has realised this.

5. Personal problems should not affect selection

Over the weekend Wayne Rooney became the latest England player to be embroiled in tabloid stories about his alleged infidelity. Capello was unmoved however, and he made the correct call in picking Rooney to start against Switzerland, a decision that was rewarded with Rooney’s first international goal in year. A players personal problems should not affect whether the manager chooses to play him or not, and in fairness to Capello this is something he stands by. In my view, a players private life is their own and it should not generally have a bearing on their career.

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Watch the video below to see why England should host the 2018 World Cup!

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Blackburn Rovers boss Sam Allardyce has reopened his rift with Arsene Wenger by accusing the Arsenal manager of trying to influence referees.

Wenger has often criticised the robust style of play Allardyce's teams employ although the Gunners did manage to beat Rovers 2-1 at Ewood Park last month.

However, Allardyce has been incensed by the Frenchman's recent comments when he criticised the heavy challenges that are being made on his players following an injury to Abou Diaby.

Allardyce said:"Arsene has most of the media in his pocket now and is almost – almost – affecting the officials so that you can't tackle an Arsenal player. That's something he's very clever at working on and it's almost working in his favour, you can see that.

"Read his interview before the Stoke City v Aston Villa match, what he said and how he said it – he's a very, very clever man in terms of influencing referees, officials and everybody in football.

"He can't be brought up for it because it's about another match – rather just before he plays us. There's a perception that we kick everybody and Arsenal's motivation is that you can't tackle us as you aren't supposed to.

"In terms of saying people are trying to injure players he's trying to influence, through the media, the referees and that's something they shouldn't get sucked in to.

"He's deflecting attention from the situation which says the game of football is a contact sport. You have to try to win the ball at all costs and if someone doesn't get it quite right people get injured.

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"It was much more apparent in my day when people used to go out to try to hurt an opponent every week, but today it very rarely happens.

"I completely deny that my team deliberately injures players, certainly not. In the Premier League the commitment and speed unfortunately brings players together at such pace that it's almost impossible to avoid injuries."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

The hopes and aspirations of a Nation weigh heavy upon this young man’s shoulders, yet he assumes this burden with a light step; millions of onlookers watch in awe at his footsteps of brilliance carving a path through the body of oncoming challenges thrown in desperation. I wish I could ascribe these words to Wayne Rooney’s form at the minute, especially when he acquires an England shirt. Alas I am merely left dreaming that in the near future Rooney will reclaim his talismanic position within the England set up that recalls performances he gave for Manchester United last season and even for England in Euro 2004, where he set the world stage alight and eluded to the potential player he would become.

It was evident from the World Cup in South Africa that something was seriously affecting Rooney. His overall demeanour was wrought with pent up frustration, visible in a display of petulance when he vented at a television camera, resenting fans for showing their discontent. The same fans that had traversed hundreds of miles and spent a considerable sum of money in order to be subjected to the poor performances that culminated in a humiliating defeat to Germany. The most recent game against Montenegro, which ended in a goalless draw, saw Rooney dropping far too deep into midfield and having received the ball would attempt a cross field ball or have to offload the ball as he was occupying a heavily congested area with only Crouch ahead of him. This suggests a player that is endeavouring too hard and is conscious of his failures, trying to rectify them. Rooney’s impatience portrays his youthful mentality, one that would do well to acquire some aspect of composure.

So where has it all gone wrong? Or better yet why has Rooney’s form suffered so much, so dramatically? There are a few suggestions which we may examine and assess. The first possibility being a lack of confidence, which for a forward is poisonous and can cripple players in front of goal, but goals are never hard to come by when applying your trade for Man United. Secondly may be the number of injuries that Rooney has sustained over his short playing career so far, but all professionals have to deal with this and none have been especially serious. Thirdly and finally, which I believe to be the crux of Rooney’s problem, is his psychological state at present. It has been clearly documented that decisions in his private life have been anything but sagacious and these have led to turmoil and disruption within his familial affairs. He has also publicly announced that he wasn’t in fact injured a few weeks back for Man United, when he was reportedly so. This was Sir Alex Ferguson obviously trying to protect the young lad when he was in a fragile frame of mind and would have been a target for abuse from opposing supporters.

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What Rooney needs to clearly rationalise at this point in time is his attitude and the reconciliation of his private affairs with his professional footballing commitments. When the likes of Carlos Tevez announce that they’re having doubts over their commitment to football, it illustrates the pressure players are under. The difference is how they propitiate their peers, fans and detractors. Rooney needs to withdraw from insolent actions and release his frustrations playing football in a controlled manner, letting this cleanse whatever ails his consciousness thus freeing him from the shackles that bind him at present.

A quiet week at the Emirates where the only news to report is that Robert Pires has returned to train with Arsenal and Aaron Ramsey is making good progress in his return to fitness, following his horrific leg break last season.

This week at FFC we have seen a mixed bag of blogs that include…Play it again Samir; Arsenal proves the perfect model and Wilshere provides a refreshing change from the norm.

Plus we have taken a look at the best Arsenal stories on the Web this week.

The Premier League WAGS Arena just got better

Is this really Arsenal’s ‘Greatest Foreign XI’ of all time?

Play it again Samir

Arsenal proves the perfect model

Arsenal set to re-sign Robert Pires?

Jack Wilshere – a refreshing change from the Arsenal norm

Alex Hleb back to his old tricks?

Is Kanchelskis’ view of Andrey Arshavin a valid one?

Krzysztof Dowhań – the coach Arsenal wanted to prevent crisis

First Wilshere, now time for another Arsenal starlet to enter the fray?

Zola vs Bergkamp – Who was the best?

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Best of Web

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Time for Arsenal stop buying up so many foreign kids… – Le Grove

Proper Football Returns But Is It In The Players Heads? – A Cultured Left Foot

Cesc wants dream move, but DreamWorks wouldn’t want him…. – Highbury House

Would You Take Him Back? – Wrighty7

Gunner jailed / Dave, here’s the real problem / Striker and keeper linked – Le Grove

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Mick McCarthy has admitted Saturday's last-gasp 2-1 Premier League loss at Manchester United was a tough one to take.

Striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake looked to have won the Midlanders a point after he cancelled out Ji-Sung Park's opener, but the Korea star swooped in stoppage-time to hand the Old Trafford giants victory.

The nature of the disappointment has understandably left McCarthy shell-shocked, but he acknowledged his players' fine contributions.

"Great performance, top, top class to go to Old Trafford and play as well as that," he admitted.

"I thought we could have won it in the end, we had a chance, so to end up losing is hard to take.

"It is fine margins and that is why Manchester United are where they are and why we are where we are unfortunately.

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"Can we turn those fine margins into our favour and make sure that when we get into the position we were in at 1-1, we don't get beat?

"We have been terrific but we've got nothing to show for it. We're still on nine points so it means nothing to me. I want to win games."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

We know that not playing well and still getting results is a necessity for any side hoping to win the Premier League but Manchester United are starting to take the piss a little.

There can be few excuses if they fail to deliver against a Wigan side they hammered 5-0 in both league games last season and which has managed just one win and 4 goals in five away league games this season.

United on the other hand have dropped only two points at home so they’re a short 2/9 to win. A third straight 5-0 win over Wigan is 20/1 but the fact that Nemanja Vidic is United’s in-form goalscorer doesn’t promise a repeat.

He’s 13/2 to score in 90 minutes if you fancy him. After Sunderland’s win at Stamford Bridge, could 12/1 Wigan cause a similar upset at Old Trafford? Probably not.