West Ham fans have been debating a potential move for Alfie Mawson, and fans are adamant they should swoop for the Swansea defender.
Alfie Mawson will definitely not be going to the World Cup this summer after the young defender had knee surgery this week, but that might not stop him finding a new club.
The in-form defender will surely be one of the relegated stars to move this summer, with Tottenham reportedly leading the pack at the moment.
24 year-old Mawson completed 187 long balls this season, more than any other Swansea player. He also completed the most passes, and was the only Swansea player to break 200 clearances with 222.
Perhaps most impressive of all, Mawson led his side with 122 aerial battles won, while the next best had just 72.
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Plenty of teams will be queuing up for his signature, and it seems West Ham fans are hoping their club will be at the front of that queue.
The Hammers escaped relegation with reassuring wins over Leicester and Everton, but fans are desperate for some investment in the spine of the team.
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Mawson is what many fans would call a classic defender, but he also possesses excellent ball skills, making him a perfect fit for the Hammers.
85 per cent of fans clearly agree with this statement, and you can check out the full poll results for yourself below…
Liverpool may consider using Simon Mignolet in a swap deal to sign Roma goalkeeper Alisson, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
What’s the story?
The Merseyside outfit have already made a splash in the January transfer market by signing defender Virgil van Dijk from Southampton for a reported £75m figure.
It seems that the club are still not satisfied with their defensive attributes as they are now reportedly targeting a new goalkeeper.
Gazzetta dello Sport claims that the Premier League outfit are interested in Roma shot-stopper Alisson, who took over as first choice this season.
The report adds that Liverpool could be open to sending current number one Mignolet to the Serie A club to help sweeten the deal.
Is Alisson better than Liverpool’s current pair?
Mignolet has been the club’s first choice since his switch from Sunderland in 2013, but he has never been able to win over the fans.
The Belgian has made a number of blunders during his time at Anfield, and even though he has the top jersey, there is little confidence in him from the supporters.
Liverpool’s number two Loris Karius has also struggled to impress and does not look close to challenging Mignolet for a spot in the first XI.
Alisson is an attractive prospect for the Premier League outfit given that he has kept the most clean sheets in Serie A so far this season.
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The 25-year-old has often been described as a ball-playing keeper, which would suit Liverpool’s style.
Brendan Rodgers has launched an outspoken attack on Arsenal, claiming the Gunners have “lacked class” over their very public pursuit of Luis Suarez, according to The Guardian.
Arsenal have had two bids rejected for the Uruguayan, one of which they hoped would trigger a release clause in the player’s contract by adding an extra £1 to an offer of £40million.
“I was surprised,” said the Liverpool manager of Arsenal’s second bid for Suárez.
“I’ve got to say I’ve always associated Arsenal as a club with class and so there was a wee bit of a game there. For us, it’s about moving on and doing our own work.
“There will come a point where they understand our position.
“Obviously they have an interest and they put that interest in with two bids which were nowhere near what the player is worth. That’s within their right.
“There is a market in football for players but from us the message is constant. We do not want to sell.”
Suarez played in front of the Anfield crowd as part of Steven Gerrard’s testimonial on Saturday – for the first time incidentally since revealing he wanted to leave the club.
He was rewarded a warm reception from the Liverpool fans, although it seems to have made no difference, with the Uruguayan the only first team player not to attend the captain’s gala dinner afterwards.
Rodgers also revealed he had received encouragement from the club’s owners in his fight to keep Suarez at the club.
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“The owners have been brilliant,” he added.
“If it was another club needing the money or desperate for the money it could have been a different story. But John Henry and Tom [Werner, the chairman] have been first class through the whole process, so there are no arguments there and it gives you the confidence they are not in any hurry to sell because they understand we are trying to build here.”
This weekend should see the long awaited league debut of Spurs’ brand new centre-half, the highly rated Belgian, Jan Vertonghen. A player deemed to be a seemingly perfect fit for Andre Villas-Boas’ new defensive style, Vertonghen was spared a baptism of fire in the 2-1 defeat away to Newcastle for a warmer welcome in the comforts of White Hart Lane. A lot, however, may rest on the former Ajax-man’s shoulders in the coming weeks.
A home fixture against against West Bromwich Albion hardly represents a walk in the park for any team, but resting Vertonghen against the Magpies on Saturday probably wasn’t the worst decision Villas-Boas has ever made.
The Belgian stopper will face tougher challenges, but you would have thought the foraging Shane Long would offer less of a shock to the system than what Demba Ba might. And it certainly proved that much, too. Spurs played well at St. James Park but Ba was always a handful and his superbly taken goal is testament to that. Vertonghen has done well to start against West Brom without the added pressure of an opening day defeat on his resume.
Although it’s been other events since the trip to Newcastle that have conspired to heap a little more pressure on Vertonghen’s shoulders. The debate about Villas-Boas’ perceived willingness to let fan-favourite Michael Dawson go, has rumbled on over the past 48-hours. The majority are sensibly backing their new manager to the hilt, although that’s not to say the expected loss of such a hugely popular central defender hasn’t hurt a little bit.
There is no way that fans would take any possible spite that Dawson’s exit may have left, out on their new defensive rock, although it does mean the spotlight on Vertonghen is going to shine a little bit brighter.
If Dawson’s talents are rendered to not be in fitting with Villas-Boas’ style or that he simply may not fancy the ex-Nottingham Forest man at the back, than that is fair enough for supporters. Although the assumption must be that Jan Vertonghen has been deemed to be a clearly superior choice for the coming season. In some ways, it’s a leap of faith that you’d expect the manager to take. But the fact it is Dawson who is in all likeliness making way, means the expectation is cranked up a little bit higher.
Both Dawson and Vertonghen possess very conflicting styles of defending and it is Dawson’s style that would potentially see him struggle to adapt to Villas-Boas’ new defensive set-up. Although the pressure is on for Jan Vertonghen and he needs to hit the ground running.
Optimism seems to be regaining in spades around N17 at the moment and now is not the time to start bringing it back down. Villas-Boas has faced unfair critique from a very vocal minority recently and this seems to have galvanized supporters, building up to what will sure to be a welcome that Villas-Boas will never have seen before. But the stakes will be high against West Brom. Spurs don’t need a second terrible start in two consecutive seasons- especially not with a manager with as much media heat as AVB.
How Jan Vertonghen copes with the expectation will be key to that. As defenders go, he is an extremely talented footballer and fans should have no fears if the ball falls to him under close quarters. He’s not one to panic and he’s certainly a perfect fit for AVB’s preference for a back four that plays it out. Tactically astute, he has the physicality to be able to adjust to the rigors of English football, although he’ll be sure to face a tough examination against Steve Clarke’s men.
Most prominently to Spurs’ hopes for the season however, will be how the defensive shape adapts. Alan Hansen went far too overboard with his crucifixion of Brendan Rodgers’ defense last weekend, although Tottenham could do well to learn from events during Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat.
Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger are superb defenders, but their adoption of a new playing style made them both look pretty average last Saturday. Steve Clarke is no fool and whilst he knows Liverpool inside-out during his spell as assistant manager, he knew that a central-defense adjusting to a new shape harbored an element of vulnerability. West Brom pressed and pressed and Liverpool’s defense ultimately wilted under the pressure. Tottenham’s back four should expect no different.
Playing a high line involves all four defenders to be playing in unison and Kyle Walker, William Gallas, Jan Vertonghen and Benoit Assou-Ekotto will have to begin to develop something of a telepathic understanding- for Saturday, anyway. Younes Kaboul’s knee injury sees him miss the visit of the Baggies and whilst Steven Caulker is a genuine talent, Saturday might not be the time to blood him.
There is already an element of risk, no matter how small, in the deployment of Vertonghen. William Gallas isn’t getting any younger and many fans still wake up in cold-sweats thinking about his performance in the 5-1 FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea last season
Although supporters shouldn’t be too adverse to the idea of the Frenchman playing a part this season. He shouldn’t be a starter, but he has been there and done it and there could be few better than a two-time Premier League winning defender to coax Vertonghen through his Premier League debut. Caulker’s time will come, but there is no need to play Vertonghen and Caulker for the sake of it. Villas-Boas doesn’t need and shouldn’t need to be taking any risks at this stage of the season. He just needs wins to get Spurs off to a flying start.
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But Jan Vertonghen has a real platform to get his team and his own Premier League career, off to a flying start. The fixture list hasn’t been too harsh on Tottenham for the season’s opening and a run of West Brom (H), Norwich (H) and Reading (A) isn’t a bad bunch of games for the Belgian to get his bearings in English football. A good, steady start will inspire confidence within the team and perhaps most importantly, the defensive unit. Villas-Boas doesn’t need a repeat of his Stamford Bridge disaster, but the likes of Vertonghen are far, far better equipped for the Portuguese than his Chelsea old-boys.
Tottenham supporters must be patient and they have to recognize how potentially volatile such specific tactical changes can be. All the signs are that Spurs can go on to enjoy a superb season under Villas-Boas. All are hoping for a positive result on Saturday and the prospect of Vertonghen making his league debut will give it an extra buzz. He’ll need time to adapt, but the time for talk is over. Let’s see what Spurs’ new centre-half has to offer.
How do you see Spurs’ defensive set-up panning out this season? Excited for Vertonghen’s debut or worried about Kaboul’s loss? Let me know how you see it on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and bat me all your Tottenham based views.
According to an interview with German media outlet Bild, Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira hinted that he would like to play in the Premier League having won league titles in Spain, Germany and Italy.
The 2014 World Cup winner told Bild: “Out of the best leagues in Europe, I am missing England after having won in Spain, Germany and Italy.
“The Premier League has always fascinated me. Winning the title there would complete my collection.”
Meanwhile, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is likely to be in the market for a new central midfielder this summer with Michael Carrick retiring, and the futures of Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera looking to be firmly up in the air.
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A partner for Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic in a midfield three looks to be what is needed, and while he is 31 years of age there is no doubting the quality and experience that Khedira has in his locker and would bring to the team.
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We asked Red Devils fans to vote on our poll to see whether they would want the club to sign the Germany international this summer, but a majority 65% said they wouldn’t be keen on a deal.
Those supporters would likely want someone younger and with more potential for the future, and it will certainly be interesting to see what Mourinho chooses to do when the transfer window opens next week.
An international cap at just the age of 18 with an impressive physical presence for such a young man, big things were expected from Micah Richards.
He made his first team debut for Man City at just 17-years-of-age and became the youngest defender to ever be called up for England duty, but fast forward 10 years and Richards has not reached anywhere near the levels that were expected of him.
He did win the Premier League at as a Sky Blue in the 2011/12 season and was fairly involved in that campaign, playing 29 times, however, in his last three seasons at City he played just nine league matches, and since 2012 Richards has not be called up to the England squad.
It has been a real decline for the Birmingham-born defender, and it could be put down to a couple of things… with injuries being key. In an interview with City TV he said that the fitness issues held him back.
“I didn’t ever expect to do what I have done, but with my injuries I think I was hampered a lot. I think I could have achieved a lot more.
“I think my best years are ahead of me. It is sad to be leaving at this time.”
In some ways City’s loss could be Villa’s gain, as Richards is only 27 and surely does have his “best years” ahead of him still. He already has over 100 Premier League appearances under his belt, and usually for a player like the former City man, Villa would of had to pay some sort of fee.
Instead getting a player of his age and experience on a free could prove to be a bit of inspired business from the Villains’ board, as Richards has all the attributes to be a solid defender for the Midlanders for a few seasons yet.
Richards is fully capable at centre-back or at right-back – he is comfortable in both positions – and has the necessary physical attributes to dominate attackers in both areas.
He is uncompromising, he is strong, quick, massively athletic and is capable of going forward well down the right flank, too. The complete package is good and Villa can expect to see the best of the defender if he can put his injury woes behind him. Something he himself admits: “I do believe that, when I am 100% fit and firing, I am a very good player. My problem over the last couple of years has been picking up injuries and getting that consistency of playing.”
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Born in Birmingham, Richards has made his return to the Midlands and it could be said that his career has made a real U-turn in many ways.
Nevertheless, he may feel that he could still be at a top four club and maybe he shouldn’t have ended up at Villa, but Richards does look like the sort of player that does not shirk a challenge and will relish the chance to prove himself all over again… and he might just do it.
Last week, Arsenal announced that Sir Chips Keswick would be replacing Peter Hill-Wood as the Chairman of the board at the Emirates, ending a family dynasty that began in 1927, citing health reasons following a heart-attack last year as cause to step down.
But the appointment has been blemished somewhat by an unlikely verbal attacker – club legend and former Gunners captain, Tony Adams. The retired England international, who claimed 66 caps throughout his career, is disappointed that his offer of joining the Arsenal boardroom was met initially with no response, having sent an application to Hill-Wood after the former Arsenal chief stated in an interview that the Emirates politico and bureaucracy needed some fresh blood, only to find out a few months down the line that a 73 year old would now be heading board meetings.
Adams told The Sun; “It’s time that Arsenal won something again, even the FA Cup or League Cup. But I can’t see it, to be honest.They are still not good enough in certain areas of the team.
“And they are miles off the title. Chips is a great guy but not a very imaginative choice by the owner. And he is 73.If they just wanted a figurehead, they should have gone for me. It would have been a better visionary decision than Chips.
“Look, I would make the tea for Arsenal Football Club, but I thought I ticked all the right boxes for the board. I don’t need the money, I would put the good of the club first in every case and I could mediate well within the club.“
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One can easily claim sour grapes. Hanging out your dirty laundry in public is rarely an approach used to improve relationships, and there are obvious connotations in using The Sun, a hyperbolic Red Top newspaper that prints for profit rather than integrity. Similarly, although Adams may have seen himself an ideal fit for the role, there’s little reason why others should.
He is undoubtedly a hero at the Emirates, and even has his own statue outside of the ground, but so far throughout the former Gunners skipper’s non-playing career, Adams has far from excelled, with poor managerial spells at Wycombe, Portsmouth and Gabala all coming to a rather abrupt and disappointing end. The role of a manager and board member are by no means directly comparable, but Adams it yet to prove that he is a successful administrator, man-manager or a businessman.
But regardless of whether or not the Arsenal legend’s words came with a hint of bitterness and jealousy, there is undoubtedly some truth behind them. The last nine years in North London have represented constant stagnation.
The eight-year trophy drought appears to be verging on a curse – this year, the Gunners fell short against Bradford in the Capital One Cup, who went on to play in the final against Swansea, while even Wigan loanee Ryo Miyaichi has managed to secure silverware during his season away from the Emirates. At the same time, Arsenal have continually regressed in the title race, with this season’s squad and final league standing representing more than any other the vast decline since the days of ‘The Invincibles’ – the 2003/2004 team who went the whole campaign unbeaten, claiming the Gunners’ last domestic title.
Some have pointed to the arrival of foreign owners at divisional rivals and payments for the new Emirates stadium as a justification for Arsenal’s recent slump, but nothing like nearly a decade of being entirely dormant in the title race, while failing to gain anything from the auxiliary competitions, spells out more the need for new blood – the status quo of Champions League football, in itself, is not a worthy accolade for a club of Arsenal’s quality and stature.
Whether Adams’ leadership in practical terms would have been able to remedy the situation remains unclear, however, as the Gunners fans have argued to Arsene Wenger this year, sometimes the signal of intent and ambition alone is all you need to get things moving in the right direction, and a young and fresh face, known for his ability to lead others, could have been exactly what the board needed to win over the fans, who have been discontented with the limited aspirations of the Arsenal boss and his employers.
Whilst Arsene Wenger has become the butt of media scrutiny this season, it’s quite clear that there are further intrinsic problems at the club, starting with the boardroom. Relationships between Alisher Usmanov and his fellow board members is said to be at an all-time low, and in April the Uzbek businessman accused majority shareholder Stanley Kroneke of lacking enough ambition to take the Gunners forward, as the two rivals continually battle for full control of the North London club.
The stale atmosphere in the board room has further contributed to Arsenal’s recent demise. The departure of Robin Van Persie was met with little protest or outrage from Kroneke’s clique, whilst the club’s head officials have also shown a lapse attitude in regards to Wenger’s tenure potentially coming to an end, with the Frenchman now 63 years of age, and receiving interest from other European clubs. Adams sees the lack of a clear contingency plan as a major concern.
Similarly, the pressure from above on the Arsenal gaffer to succeed has been non-existent in recent years, allowing the head coach to not only oversee an overall decline in standards, but furthermore, attain an almost monolithic control of how the club is run and managed, being involved in many aspects on and off the pitch. It’s created a situation where Wenger’s ideas are no longer confronted and compromised, and bringing in a natural leader like Tony Adams would at least create a barrier to the often philosophical and idealistic Wenger.
There is also something to be said regarding the method of bringing former players as board members. It’s the model used at Bayern Munich, and to a lesser extent at Manchester United, and is yet to do either club wrong. In sharp contrast to the usual scheming businessmen around that appear to dominate Premier League boardrooms, using former players, often with hero status amongst the fans, reduces the political in-fighting, and successfully aligns the supporters. The Gunners faithful could certainly do with a positive rallying cry, with sections of the Emirates divided over ticket-prices and a lack of investment in the first team, leading to regular protests from the Black Scarf movement.
Tony Adams is by no means the perfect candidate – he is yet to prove himself off the pitch in any form, and as he himself pointed out, Sir John Keswick is undoubtedly a better candidate to reach out and maintain contact with Alisher Usmanov. But in many ways, it’s a shame that once again, Arsenal as a club have resisted the urge for change. It’s not that the current board members are not well enough qualified, but simply that their situation has become comfortable and stale, and they are all representatives of an era at the Emirates that will be best remembered for a slump in quality.
A new, fresh, young face could have been the perfect remedy – even if Adams lacks in certain skills, he would have at least been a symbolic statement that the board are keen to start moving in a new direction.
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Living in Manchester and watching as much football as I do, there are often accusations of favouring either the red side or blue of the city. In actual fact I have a soft spot for a certain white side in Madrid and genuinely have no bias towards either half of Manchester, so when I say City will win the league or indeed burst into laughter after reading the Metro headline about ‘Fergie’s Fab Four’ being back and better than ever – it is genuine opinion not bias forming the reaction.
The article was of course referring to the formerly great forward four from the utter glory days of the club of Yorke, Cole, Sheringham and Solsjaer, and comparing them with the new fab four – the strikers of Rooney, Hernandez, Welbeck and of course the man who makes ‘RVP’ and ‘I feel sick’ trend in the same sentence on twitter.
You could be forgiven for not really seeing why I found the whole story so hilarious – well before the Everton game – and there is no doubting that the four forwards Fergie has at his disposal back then or even now are top class, the ones who can play for 90 minutes, the ones who can produce sheer brilliance and the super subs who can come on and get you that winning goal.
The difference however is that back in 99, United also had the best midfield in Europe. Now they do not even have the best midfield in Manchester. What use is it having the best forwards around when there is no maestro to pass them the ball either through the centre of midfield or on the wings?
After the humiliation by Barcelona in the Champions League final a few seasons gone, Fergie should have seen the warning signs and known that what he had in the middle of the park was simply not good enough to compete with the very best in Europe anymore. Yes Xavi and Iniesta are magicians but it was a warning sign not heeded and now the midfield at United can’t even go toe to toe with the best in the Premier League anymore.
Even the most ardent United fans and Fergie supporters must see that United need drastic changes at the heart of their team – yes Scholes is still special and Giggs has managed to keep himself young through a variety of on and off the field activities, but how long are they really going to last? Does Fergie really think that Scholes, like himself only plans to leave Old Trafford when carried out in a coffin?
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United might have a quality striker force and should they keep Vidic and Rio fit a good defence but in reality what is going on in the middle of the park? Summer signing Kawaga looks utter quality but he alone cannot make the difference in a tight game. There is no other way to put this, if United wish to win the Premier League or even come close in Europe something has to be done about their midfield. A fab four but an average heart will get you very little.
Everton won for the second successive week in the English Premier League on Saturday with a 2-0 victory away to Huddersfield Town.Although fan concerns about the future of the club under Sam Allardyce continue, the Toffees are now unbeaten in four matches in the top flight and found their way to a win against Huddersfield thanks to goals from Cenk Tosun and Idrissa Gueye.Tosun had gone four matches without finding the back of the net but his latest is his fifth in Everton colours since joining from Besiktas in January, where he netted 14 in all competitions.Fans were delighted with his Saturday performance and are hopeful he can be the team’s main man next season, especially if the club choose to go for a manager who can get the side playing more attacking and creative football than Allardyce.Will Tosun be a striking sensation in his first full season at Goodison Park?Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts…
Across all leagues, there’s always one player in a team who puts in so much effort, only for it to go unnoticed. Like at Real Madrid it’s anyone who isn’t Cristiano Ronaldo. Each team in the Premier League’s top four is no different. Here are Chelsea, Arsenal, City and United unsung heroes of the season.
For the newly-crowned champions it has to be Cesar Azpilicueta. With such a consistent defence, it is easy to overlook just how good they are. And Azpilicueta was somewhat overlooked in regards to the Team of the Year. Gary Neville has spoken very highly of Cesar, saying he is “as near to perfect as possible when it comes to defending; he’s immaculate.” Azpilicueta has been consistently good all season; and definitely one of the best defenders in the Premier League.
At Manchester City, Joe Hart has made a few mistakes this season, and seemingly gone down in estimation, despite all the good he has also done. In terms of goalkeeping, he has not received enough credit for some outstanding saves. It’s harder for him to get a look in with the likes of David De Gea – who has earned points for his team when they have struggled, especially without a solid back line in front of him. He has also been outdone by Thibaut Courtois, who has had a dream debut season in the Premier League and of course Fraser Forster, who has plenty of clean sheets to his name this season. But Hart does step up when his side need it most. Despite getting knocked out of the Champions League, in their final game, against Barcelona, Hart was magnificent – but that doesn’t catch a readers attention in the same way. Putting in the performance he did against a side of that calibre shows how good he truly is.
One Arsenal player who could do with some more credit in Arsenal is Santi Cazorla. His work rate is incredible and although rumours have circulated that he could be on his way out, Arsenal would be losing such a good player. But with the season Alexis Sanchez has had, and how he has stole the headlines, Cazorla’s efforts have not been as praised as highly as they should have been. While the media try to promote the talents of the likes of Philippe Coutinho, they are massively overlooking one of the best midfielders in the league.
Manchester United’s Michael Carrick has made his whole side tick. His experience has been crucial for Manchester United; something that is only being picked up now as he is not currently playing. Their win rate with Carrick is significantly better this season: they win 72% of their games when he is involved, and win only 37% of their games when he is not. He may not have that many goals to his name for the season, but it is the work he does behind those goals that truly matters. Singing his praises when he isn’t there is not the same, and it becoming clear that he is vital to their successes.
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