It has been reported by ITA Sport Press that Tottenham are looking to make a fresh bid for Palermo’s Uruguayan striker Abel Hernández . The 21-year-old is highly regarded by Tottenham and saw a bid of £8.9 million rejected in the summer. With Pavlyuchenko looking more likely that he will part ways with the club in January; it leaves Adebayor and Defoe as the only two recognisable strikers.
The likes of Real Madrid, Roma, Arsenal and Chelsea have all made past enquiries about the talented striker and it seems that an offer of around €20m would secure his services according to Hernández’s agent.
Hernández joined Palermo in the summer of 2009 from Peñarol and is under contract with the Serie A club until June 2013. The Uruguayan has scored 13 goals in 51 appearances since he joined the club and 3 goals in his first 7 starts for the club this season.
A bidding war between the three London clubs does seem inevitable once the transfer window re-opens in January.
Article courtesy of Shahrouz Salimian from the Transfer Tavern
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The Premier League title race has been blown wide open as Manchester United failed to take advantage of Arsenal’s dropped points at Anfield yesterday. It appears to be a title that nobody wants to win as the top sides continue to choke as we enter the business end of the season and you wouldn’t like to put your money either way on who will prevail victorious come May.
In the papers this morning there has been a mixed bag of stories that includes David Gill blasting ref over Nani tackle; Mancini says City need to spend again, while Ian Holloway claims that Torres isn’t worth the money.
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Ferguson snubs media after Man Utd’s defeat at Anfield – Guardian
Gill blasts referees over Nani tackle – Daily Telegraph
No one deserves to win the Prem – Sun
FA chief: Goal-line technology could be introduced ‘within a year’ – Daily Mail
City need new players, pleads Mancini – Guardian
Redknapp sets sights on ‘new Messi’ – Mirror
Dalglish predicts big future for Carroll – Daily Telegraph
Mancini reveals Kolo hell – Sun
Torres isn’t worth that money – Holloway – Mirror
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Blues try to allay fears over Europe slot – Guardian
PFA to step in to try and resolve Warnock’s dispute with Aston Villa – Daily Mail
Emile Heskey has admitted that England must be more ruthless in front of goal after their World Cup campaign kicked-off with a draw against the US this past weekend.
However, is Heskey in a position to state such a claim, when statistically he is the least clinical striker in the entire England squad this summer? Even more so, wasn’t Emile the one who missed a golden opportunity to clinch all 3 points the other night?
Capello decided to play a 4-4-2 formation against the US last Saturday (12th of June), and as such, partnered Emile Heskey up front with Wayne Rooney. The Villa man put in an adequate performance. He won a majority of the aerial battles and his hold up play did cause several problems for the Americans. Although when given the chance to show his ability in front of goal, the England striker proved once again that he is simply not a prolific finisher. Heskey’s best chance came when the strong forward was threaded a lovely through ball by Aaron Lennon before hammering his chance straight into the US keeper Tim Howard.
It was possibly England’s best opportunity to grab all 3 points on what was a nervy night in Rustenburg. Unfortunately the three lions could only manage a 1-1 draw, which has now increased the pressure on the team to get a good result against Algeria this Friday night. Speaking to the gathering press, Heskey spoke of his crucial chance:
‘With my chance in the second half, the keeper (Howard) stood up quite well. I just tried to get as much power behind it as possible because these balls do move around. He has done well but he is lucky it has caught him right in the midriff but we kept plugging away and kept creating chances.”
Heskey’s latest revelation will no doubt have raised a few eyebrows back home and may have had a number of fans (including myself) rolling on the floor with laughter. The fact is the England international is in no position to be questioning the team’s callousness in front of goal when he himself can’t bury a brilliant yet simple chance.
Continue to page 2 for the conclusion of the article
Conversely, Many England fans will wonder why the stocky forward is even in South Africa considering his goal scoring record for his country.
The 6’ 2’’ England forward’s record now stands at 7 goals in 59 appearances for his country, which begs the question, why is Heskey picked over Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe, who both have a better goal-scoring record?
Ok, a number of fans will agree with the myth that Heskey brings out the best in Rooney, but can England afford to play a striker that doesn’t score goals in the world’s greatest tournament?
If Heskey believes England need to be more ruthless in front of goal (as he has stated in the press recently) then surely he should do the admiral deed and let either Crouch or Defoe take his place in the starting line-up this Friday. He doesn’t offer anything to the team other than a decent hold up game and aerial ability.
With this being said, if this is what Capello wants to install into his team, then why doesn’t the Italian just pick Crouch? Crouch acquires both attributes that Heskey does, but the big difference between the two is that Crouch can score goals. England also have a firecracker striker in Jermain Defoe who again can bag a goal in the process. Defoe also acquires blistering pace, which will no doubt cause the opposing defence a problem or two.
Although, Heskey will want to continue playing throughout the tournament, the strong forward’s position (considering his goal ratio) will surely have to be looked at by the England coach, after witnessing yet another performance in which the striker has failed to find the back of the net.
The plain and simple truth is, Heskey must be dropped in order for his own declaration to become a reality. However, this will be up to Capello to waver over the next few days.
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Whatever the Italian does decide to do, Heskey should do himself a favour and keep his thoughts to himself about England’s ruthlessness, especially when the England international hasn’t been able to score a goal for his country in over a year now.
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Scotland will not compete at Euro 2012 after they were beaten 3-1 by Spain on Tuesday night, and Czech Republic leapfrogged them into the playoff place with a 4-1 win over Lithuania.
Going into the round Craig Levein’s men held second place, ahead of the Czechs by one point.
However, the Tartan Army knew that their side would have to match Czech Republic’s result to ensure a playoff berth, but this was a bridge too far against an impressive Spain team.
Manchester City midfielder David Silva scored a brace in the first half to give the hosts a comfortable 2-0 half time lead, with Barcelona attacker David Silva piling on the misery with a third early in the second period.
David Goodwillie did manage to get a consolation goal for Scotland from the penalty spot, but in the end the celtic nation were outclassed by the world champions.
Despite the defeat, Levein praised his players in what was always going to be a difficult task for Scotland.
“The result is disappointing. We don’t like to lose but as I said to the players after the game, this is as hard as it gets,” he stated to BBC Sport.
“To come to the home of the European and world champions, play them in their own backyard, is an extremely difficult thing to do.
“We knew we had to be at the top of our game and they maybe would come down 10 or 15 per cent – well, unfortunately for us they played pretty close to maximum tonight. When they are like that they are very difficult to play against.
“I have to give credit to our guys though, they stuck at it in the second half and on another night could have had three or four goals,” he concluded.
Czech Republic will now wait to find out their playoff opponents in their continued attempt to make the finals in Poland and Ukraine, whilst Scotland will look to regroup before World Cup qualifying begins.
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Scottish fans will look back to the 2-2 draw with Czech Republic at Hampden, with a controversial late goal by the visitors ultimately costing Levein’s men a place in the playoffs.
Watching Jack Wilshere usurp Gareth Bale as the ‘greatest player in the history of association football,’ against Barcelona at the Emirates last night, I couldn’t help but be a tad jealous of the Gooners.
Wilshere was a contender for man of the match and the fact he’s only 19 years-old means he has a very bright future ahead of him, one that may or may not be at Arsenal.
Whilst watching Wilshere, put in a performance that by rights no teenager should be putting in against the ‘unofficial’ world’s best team, it dawned on me that despite his youth his apprenticeship has already been well served.
Wilshere was given the chance to mature at Bolton last season, where he excelled for Owen Coyle’s side and got used to not only the pressure but also the pace and physical nature of top flight football, which no amount of reserve games can truly prepare you for.
I couldn’t help but think of United’s very own Tom Cleverley, currently enjoying a tough loan spell at relegation candidates, Wigan. When I say tough, I’m certainly not inferring Cleverley has found the going tough, as he’s been one of the Latics few bright sparks in a typically difficult season. Cleverley recently returned from a one month lay out to come off the bench against both Blackburn and Liverpool. In both games he showed Roberto Martinez exactly what he’s been missing, tightening things up against Blackburn and showing his attacking abilities in the game against ‘King Kenny’s rejuvenated Liverpool’ side.
With Wigan’s next game being against United it’s not going to be until March when the youngster will get his chance to face ‘former’ title challengers, the massive club in the world- Manchester City.
Regardless of how long before Cleverley next plays, there can be no denying his time at the DW has been a huge success and three goals plus an assist in only ten starts-plus five more as sub- is not to be sniffed at.
Last season Cleverly went on loan to Watford where he scored 11 goals in 33 games and was the club’s player of the season. This season Cleverley’s shown his worth to the Wigan side, and his game seems to have progressed as not only as he made the step up from Championship to Premier League but also that he is more than just an attacking midfielder.
He’s been used in several positions and has shown that he’s not afraid to get stuck in and mix it up a bit, just like his more famous Arsenal counterpart.
Although, Wilshere is two years younger than Cleverley and has arguably progressed a lot quicker, by giving him a run in the side- he’s played all but three EPL games for the Gunners this season- Wenger is now reaping the benefits.
Cleverley and Wilshere have played for the England Under 21′s together and both were tipped for a bright future. Wilshere’s ascendancy has been nothing short of meteoric going from the U-21′s to the England first team in a matter of months. While he was originally thought of as an attacking midfielder, Wilshere now plays in a much more deeper lying role- even causing Fabio Capello to come out with the ridiculous statement that he could be England’s Claude Makelele.
The reason I find that statement ridiculous is that not only was Makelele arguably the best defensive midfielder in the CL era but also Wilshere’s use in that position is far from assured. There’s still a chance he could be used as a more box to box type.
Cleverley seems to prosper best as an attacking midfielder but his ability to get stuck in and his energy makes me think he could be used, like Wilshere in a deeper lying role, or perhaps even just as an orthodox CM- remember they do still exist.
With United crying out for a successor to Scholes, even if he doesn’t retire at the end of the season, Cleverley could fulfil that role, if given the chance. There’s no secret that Sir Alex has money to spend in the Summer and the smart money seems to be on a midfielder joining United, but as the manager has always stated he isn’t prepared to spend over the odds on any new recruits. There aren’t too many world-class midfielders available unless you’re willing to pay a large amount, especially on the continent. It comes as no surprise that names such as Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson have been linked with a move to Old Trafford as although they won’t be cheap, neither should be over the £20 million mark.
This season United’s two biggest surprises have been Chicharito and Smalling, who’ve shown that youth and inexperience are irrelevant if you’ve got an abundance of talent and a mature attitude.
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Jack Wilshere has shown the world what a supremely talented young player, who’s served his apprenticeship, can do at the highest level. The question I’ve got is why can’t Cleverley do the same for United next season?
In my opinion, given the chance he can.
Read more of Justin’s work at the NEW Manchester United blog Red Flag Flying High
Spaniard Rafael Benitez is expected to take the vacant managerial job at Serie A giants Internazionale on Wednesday.
The former Liverpool coach left the Merseysiders by mutual consent last week and he looks to have landed a new position immediately with Inter president Massimo Moratti admitting a decision has now been reached to take him to the San Siro.
Benitez, 50, won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005 and the FA Cup the following year during his six-year stint and, prior to his move to England, he led La Liga side Valencia to the Spanish title in 2002 and 2004 with the UEFA Cup arriving at the Mestalla in the same year.
Inter, who won the Serie A title as well as the Coppa Italia and the Champions League last season, have been searching for a successor to Jose Mourinho after the Portuguese coach teamed up with Real Madrid recently and it looks like the Nerazzuri look to have found their new man.
Speaking to the club's official website, Moratti said:"We've got an agreement, we finalised the last details that in any case weren't important.
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Every football club has ‘the one that got away.’ The one player whom we all believe held the key to our aspirations and dreams for our football club – if only he had signed on the dotted line.
Harry Redknapp admitted before this weekend’s game that he had decided against bringing Luis Suarez to White Hart Lane after mistakenly thinking he was too like what they already had. Although Suarez had a quiet game yesterday he will has still been a fantastic signing by Liverpool and he looks like being a world-class player in the future. Spurs could regret missing out on the Uruguayan forward for many years to come. This isn’t the first time a mistake has been made and throughout football history there have been players that got away.
These are the signings that could have changed the course of history for your club but instead never happened and if you’re a Sheffield United fan you’ll be forever ruing the day your club let one of the best players of all time slip through the net.
Here are the Top TEN ‘ones that got away’
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New Wales boss Gary Speed has an injury crisis on his hands as his side prepares to take on Ireland in the Carling Nations Cup on Tuesday.
The Cup, which is a round-robin tournament between Wales, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Northern Ireland, kicks off a big mid-week round of friendlies across Europe, Africa and the Americas.
Wales will face Ireland at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, minus the services of stars Gareth Bale, Craig Bellamy, Aaron Ramsey, Boaz Myhill, Danny Gabbidon and David Edwards.
The injury crisis leaves Speed with some serious headaches ahead of his first match in charge, but striker Robbie Earnshaw said the players who are involved will be determined to impress their new manager.
“For me it’s no friendly,” Earnshaw told RTE Sport.
“It’s a huge game. We are going there with a freshness about the camp as Gary has taken over and everyone wants to do well for the new manager and that can have a big effect.”
Wales have won just one of their last six matches, and will need to vastly improve against a Republic of Ireland side who sit second in their Euro 2012 qualifying group.
The other Nations Cup match pits Scotland against Northern Ireland, also at the Aviva Stadium.
Injuries have also hit the Northern Irish hard, with captain Aaron Hughes, West Brom playmaker Chris Brunt, Rangers striker Kyle Lafferty, Birmingham goalkeeper Maik Taylor, Blackpool defender Craig Cathcart and Coventry midfielder Sammy Clingan all among those ruled out.
Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher will be absent for the Scots.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Sweden will look to recover some form ahead of their upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers when they travel to Cyprus for a knockout tournament with the hosts, Romania and Ukraine.
Didier Drogba’s Ivory Coast meet African neighbours Mali in Valence, France and Panama travel to Peru.
On Wednesday, the Czech Republic face the challenge of a visit from Croatia.
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The Balkans side have not lost a match since September 2009 and will be determined to put their best foot forward in their last warm-up game before Euro 2012 qualifiers resume in March.
The Netherlands have named a near-full strength team to face Austria in Rotterdam, with Arsenal’s Robin van Persie, Manchester City’s Nigel de Jong, Mark van Bommel, Dirk Kuyt and John Heitinga all named in Bert van Marwijk’s 22-man squad.
In the pick of the other European action, Euro 2012 co-host Poland face Norway just two days after their 1-0 win over Moldova, Greece welcome Canada to Larissa, Serbia travel to Israel and Belgium face Finland.
In the Americas, Honduras will host Ecuador, Venezuela face Costa Rica and Mexico travel north to play Bosnia-Herzegovina in Atlanta.
If Chelsea are to keep their thin hopes of Champions League qualification alive, they’ll need to overcome the most potent side in Europe this season when Liverpool travel to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Fortunately though, there’s a clear game-plan for Antonio Conte to follow in a bid to foil Jurgen Klopp’s relentless attacking outfit, provided by predecessor Jose Mourinho when he pulled off one of the Premier League’s greatest spoiling performances on Merseyside to essentially kill Liverpool’s chances of lifting the 2013/14 title.
That match is infamously remembered for Steven Gerrard’s slip, a moment of incredible misfortune that ensured the Liverpool legend would miss out on the only club trophy that evaded him throughout a glorious Anfield career.
But Mourinho deserves crucial credit too, because he created the circumstances for that unforgettable error; time-wasting from the opening whistle, fielding a weakened team in preparation for a Champions League semi-final with Atletico Madrid and putting all eleven men behind the ball for practically the entire match, the then-Chelsea gaffer transformed Liverpool’s own home into a cauldron of uneasy expectation as they chased down the Premier League crown.
In many ways, Mourinho turned what is often seen as one of the Reds’ greatest strengths – the exceptionally militant backing of the Anfield faithful – into their most inherent weakness. He funnelled that nervous energy on the terraces to further ramp up the pressure, creating an atmosphere in which one huge mistake became almost inevitable.
He couldn’t have predicted the poetic irony though, of the error being committed by the most iconic member of that Liverpool team, the man who declared ‘don’t let this slip’ after they beat title rivals Manchester City in a 3-2 thriller during their previous Anfield outing a fortnight prior.
The dynamics of the match on Sunday will be markedly different. For starters, Chelsea are the home side needing the win – Liverpool will guarantee their place in the top four with just a draw, knowing their vastly superior goal difference will be enough even if both sides end the Premier League season on level points. In another quirky reversal of fortunes, whereas Chelsea were preparing for a Champions League semi-final in April 2014, Klopp could decide to rest key players on Sunday with their final showdown against Real Madrid in mind.
Likewise, it’s often forgotten that a young Mohamed Salah was part of the Chelsea team that pulled off that pragmatic away performance at Anfield; nowadays, the Egyptian international is at the peak of his powers and, provided he starts, will be desperate to punish the club that once deemed him little more than a financial asset.
But there’s more than one way to skin a cat, and Chelsea only need one goal to win this game. Furthermore, perhaps more important than the differences are the surprising similarities. The most significant of those is that, much like Brendan Rodgers’ side, Klopp’s Liverpool only really know how to play in one way – full throttle. Playing for draws or clean sheets just isn’t part of their DNA, and even if the Reds gaffer rests his key components this weekend, Liverpool will still try to hit Chelsea hard and fast in search of a statement-setting, confidence-building win against their divisional rivals. That’s precisely where this Liverpool team could suffer their own metaphorical slip.
There’s something inherently weird about Liverpool, but most particularly under Klopp. Liverpool have always been an intrinsically emotive club, and Klopp has often branded his own philosophy as ’emotional football’. During their many 20-minute onslaughts this season, that emotion has made Liverpool appear momentarily invincible, playing with a speed and relentlessness that can only really be rivalled by Manchester City in the Premier League.
But that incredible emotion always leaves Liverpool on a knife-edge and just as one moment of attacking brilliance can trigger their incredible bursts of potency, one moment of uncertainty can have the exact opposite effect – the emotion becomes as powerful negatively as it often serves this Liverpool team positively, something their recent Champions League skirmishes have really highlighted. Even after the Reds went 3-0 up against City in the first leg of their quarter-final at Anfield, Salah’s precautionary withdrawal after picking up a knock completely changed the mood of the stadium.
Soccer Football – Champions League Quarter Final First Leg – Liverpool vs Manchester City – Anfield, Liverpool, Britain – April 4, 2018 Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah applauds the fans as he is substituted after sustaining an injury Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine
Sure, Salah is Liverpool’s biggest talent, but for one small moment – that eventually proved completely inconsequential – to create such widespread doubt despite the Reds boasting a three goal cushion is nothing short of bizarre.
It highlights the inevitable vulnerability of emotion being such a core principle of a team, and the same happened again when Roma scored twice at Anfield in the semi-final. Liverpool were still three goals up, but the atmosphere on Merseyside once again soured in an instant. A ground that was filled with encouraging roars and bellowed anthems for 81 minutes suddenly went deathly quiet.
That’s something Chelsea can still tap into; the manner in which Liverpool’s emotive belief in their own destiny suddenly translates into almost paralysing fear. Perhaps Sunday’s meeting won’t grip players and fans in the same way as European knockouts, but the fact Liverpool still need to qualify for the Champions League and carry momentum into their Kiev final with reigning champions Real Madrid should be enough to stir that seemingly unshakeable rollercoaster of emotion. Just as Mourinho used it in 2014 at Anfield, Conte can exploit it this weekend.
Britain Football Soccer – Liverpool v Chelsea – Premier League – Anfield – 31/1/17 Chelsea manager Antonio Conte and Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp after the game Reuters / Phil Noble Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further de
The other similarity too, is that there’s still one clear way of stopping Liverpool, whether it’s Rodgers or Klopp’s Reds we’re talking about. Both have endured a recurring weakness of coming unstuck against well-organised, physical and direct teams that keep men behind the ball.
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As Carlos Carvalhal quipped after Liverpool unexpectedly lost 1-0 to Swansea City in January, if you put a Formula 1 car in London traffic, it’s just like any other car. A great personal friend of Mourinho’s, you have to wonder how much of the game-plan that night at the Liberty Stadium was influenced by Chelsea’s win at Anfield four years ago, if not directly advised on by the current United boss himself.
Conte has already shown this season that he’s not afraid of being that pragmatic at home, the 1-1 draw with Barcelona being the obvious example, and because it would be such a strange approach to take into a game Chelsea need to win, that might just catch Liverpool a little off-guard, luring them into something of a false sense of security. Mourinho’s side scored twice to end Liverpool’s title dreams in 2013/14, but Conte’s boys need just one on Sunday to seal all three points if they can keep them out at the other end.
It may seem gigantic gamble to play ultra-defensively in such an important game from the Blues, but it may also be Conte’s best path to victory.
Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has admitted he doesn’t want to leave the club this summer and is prepared to fight David Ospina for his place in the side, according to London24.
The Poland international was dropped earlier in the season after a run of poor form and allegedly being caught smoking in the dressing room after a game.
He has since struggled to regain his first team status as Ospina took the opportunity to cement in his place in Arsene Wenger’s first-team plans.
WANT MORE? >> Arsenal transfer rumours | Latest transfer rumours
Szczesny, who played in Arsenal’s FA Cup final victory over Aston Villa on Saturday, has been linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium as a result, but has since insisted he is eager to win his place back next season.
He said: “You [the media] like to speculate, but I am happy where I am.
“I have got all the support in the world from the manager and I have fantastic relations with him, so you can stop the gossip now because I am here for good. I will stay.”
The 25-year-old has been forced to make do with appearances in cup competitions since being dropped for Ospina, and was proud to have been given the opportunity to play a part in Arsenal’s record breaking 12th FA Cup triumph.
“I am very grateful for the manager, he has been good with me over these last couple of months and has shown all the faith in the world in me and I am very thankful for the chance to play in the cup final and am very glad of a clean sheet,” he said.
Arsenal are still thought to be interested in signing Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech this summer, which could still threaten Szczesny’s first team opportunities next term.
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