Chelsea are reported to be considering making a mega-money move for Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero.
Chelsea had enquired about Aguero during previous transfer windows, but the massive €60 million buyout clause in his contract put the London club off making an offer.
However Aguero, who is married to the daughter of Diego Maradona, has recently signed a new contract with a reduced clause thought to be €45 million. Aguero’s new price tag is thought to have reignited Chelsea’s interest in the Argentinean striker who has been at Atletico Madrid since 2006.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Chelsea have suffered an almighty drop in form since November and are a shadow of the side that brushed aside all-comers in the early stages of the season. Manager Carlo Ancelotti knows that something drastic needs to happen in order to get Chelsea’s title push back on track and a new striker to partner the misfiring Didier Drogba may put the spark back into Chelsea’s season.
It is not often I get riled, but if I hear the comment once more that Rio ‘was left out for footballing reasons’ I think I’m going to throw the laptop out of the window. I have never heard such drivel in my life and the recent call-ups has simply underlined what rubbish the reasons for Ferdinand’s omission actually were. Hodgson should man-up and tell us the truth, instead of continuing to insult our intelligence.
Jamie Moralee was roundly criticised by many within the game for his attack on the FA, Hodgson and alike; however his sentiments would have been felt by many. It is kind of baffling that an inexperienced Liverpool reserve would get the nod, and be deemed a better option than the most decorated defender currently in England. It is a joke in every sense of the word and only serves to prove why so many doubted his suitability for the job in the first place. Hodgson has decided to go with the putting of square pegs in round holes option with his squad and destroying England’s chances at the Euro’s with it.
The reasoning the likes of Sven have given in defence of Hodgson is that Rio has had injury problems this season and unlikely to play regularly, despite the fact he has played 38 games this year (a damn sight more than Kelly I might add). It is another pointless justification, given that Hodgson included Wayne Rooney who is ineligible for two games. The argument is that on a one-off game Rooney could make a huge difference is the right one; in much the same way that being able to call upon someone with the experience of Ferdinand would have been a useful weapon to have. Fabio Capello called up Ledley King for the last World Cup with such thinking in mind, but then again as managers go we are dealing with chalk and cheese here. Apparently Ferdinand has been told by Hodgson he still has an international future with the World Cup qualifiers in mind – an even more baffling comment, given how much this squad is battling with injuries at this moment in time.
Hodgson’s inconsistencies are frightening and judging by the performances of his team over the last two outings, a painful tournament awaits us.
[divider]
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Partizan Belgrade and Wisla Krakow both eased into the third qualifying round of the Champions League on Tuesday.Vladimir Jovancic scored four minutes after coming off the bench as Partizan completed a comfortable 5-0 aggregate victory over Skendija 79, capped off with a 1-0 win in Macedonia.
Four goals up from the first leg in Serbia, Partizan looked off the pace at the start of the match in Skopje and were lucky not to fall behind when Jasir Selmani wasted an early chance.
But the Serbian champions were much improved after the interval and found a winner when Jovancic scored past Skendija goalkeeper Suat Zendeli in the 68th minute.
Partizan’s 5-0 aggregate victory means they will now face KRC Genk in the third round of qualifying.
Polish champions Wisla progressed to the third round following their 2-0 win over Lativan side Skonto Riga.
Leading 1-0 from the first leg in Latvia, Wisla went ahead thanks to a 51st minute goal from Patryk Malecki, before Ivica Iliev scored their second to wrap up the tie.
Wisla will now play Bulgarian champions Litex Lovech in the penultimate round of qualifying.
Litex beat Montenegrin side FK Mogren 3-0 on Wednesday for a 5-1 aggregate victory.
In other notable second-round results, HJK Helsinki crushed Welsh outfit Bangor City 10-0 in their second leg in Finland to secure a 13-0 aggregate victory.
The Finnish side scored eight goals in the second half, with Erfan Zeneli, Teemu Pukki and Kartriot Kastrati all netting twice for the hosts.
Belarusian outfit BATE Borisov also moved into the third round after a 2-0 win over Northern Ireland’s Linfield.
The tie was evenly poised at 1-1 after the first leg in Belfast, but goals from Pavel Nekhaichik and Aleksandr Pavlov in the space of three second-half minutes on Tuesday ensured victory for the hosts.
Other teams through to the second round include Shamrock Rovers, Ekranas, Dinamo Zagreb, Slovan Bratislava, Malmo and Viktoria Plzen.
The sacking of former Newcastle manager Chris Hughton shocked all of those in and around football. The empathy that all feel for Hughton is making the job of replacing him at the Premier League club all the more difficult. No-one knows this more so than the incumbent manager, Alan Pardew.
Arguably Pardew’s biggest job is trying to convince his players to stay at St James’ Park past January; furthermore he also has the massive task of encouraging them to fight for the club’s Premier League survival.
Even Alan Pardew has acknowledged he faces a difficult task winning over not only the Newcastle fans but the players too as he was unveiled as manager. Pardew says, “The problem I’m going to have initially is the players – I need to get my message across quickly and with clarity, so as not to get any resentment at a time when they are doing reasonably well.”
Several players voiced their disappointment at the departure of Hughton, and credit to Pardew, he has said that he is “privileged to be sitting here and looking forward to a tough job.” However, I do feel it is telling, especially in this day and age that the players’ disappointment might cause them to look elsewhere in the upcoming January transfer market.
Saturday’s win against Liverpool on Saturday did however soften the blow and if results follow suit then I am sure it is only a matter of time before the fans and the players come around to Pardew’s way of thinking.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
The saying one swallow doesn’t make a summer springs to mind and only the future will determine how the fans and more importantly the players take to Pardew. One thing that is sure though, is that he will need to prove to the players away from football that he is someone they can trust and someone who wants the best for them and the club, much like Hughton did previously.
MK Dons are unbeaten in seven away league games so should not be taken lightly. In previous play off campaigns we have always remained unbeaten after the first leg, yet always went on to lose the tie. Maybe this can provide us with some hope that it’s not impossible to turn over a first leg deficit.
It is a difficult situation for Huddersfield. Even though they have the 2 goal advantage if they sit back and invite pressure the Dons are sure to find a way to break them down. The same if they go out to get that 3rd goal they are likely to leave themselves open to a counter attack.
Did you know?
Huddersfield Town striker Jordan Rhodes has scored an incredible 39 goals this season, the most in all four divisions!
The next goal scored in the tie is probably going to decide the result. The Dons have to score early and, perhaps more importantly, first if they want to make the coveted trip to Wembley this year. We have no option but to go out and attack, this could be our last game of the season we must not leave anything in the dressing room.
If Huddersfield do manage to score first at the Galpharm, they have all but sealed MK Dons’ fate of playing League One football for the 5th consecutive year. If MK play at the same tempo and class as they have for most of this season, they can recover. We all know that almost anything can happen between 90 minutes and this tie is certainly not done and dusted.
MK Dons XI v HTAFC
Martin,
Doumbe, MacKenzie, Williams, Lewington
Potter, Gleeson
Bowditch, Ibehre, O’Shea
MacDonald
The MK Army have been treated to a few cracking away games this season, we beat a premier league team 4-0 at their own ground, outclassing them in every single way. We beat Colchester 5-1 and have had convincing 3-0 victories at Scunthorpe and Leyton Orient. We are most definitely capable of producing the performances but more importantly the results away from Stadium:MK. In fact we would be second in the table for away games only!
This year has seen an increase in professionalism all round MK Dons. After the disappointing result on Saturday, the team have been taken away for private training, refining the errors made in the first leg. Robinson will have them fired up for this decisive 2nd leg, one thing is for sure, we will not go down without a fight. The squad, although at it’s smallest, is more united and stronger than ever!
One thing they must all remember:
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
“Keep on going and the chances are you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I have never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting down.” – Charles F. Kettering
In defeat or in victory, I will forever be proud of my club and the lads that pull on our shirt every single week.
You can follow me on Twitter and read even more of my writing on my personal blog
Manchester City have reportedly rejected a 35 million-pound bid from Brazilian side Corinthians for captain Carlos Tevez.Tevez, 27, has publicly stated his desire to leave City after five seasons in the English Premier League.
The striker claims to be unhappy away from his daughters, who live in Argentina.
Former club Corinthians emerged as a potential destination, but their initial bid has reportedly been rejected 24 hours after it was lodged as Corinthians president Andres Sanchez confirmed a proposal had been made.
“The player wants to come to South America, he doesn’t want to hear from European clubs. He wants to come here. Now it depends on Manchester City agreeing ,” Sanchez said.
“The proposal has been made.”
“I spoke with his representatives with Tevez over the telephone.”
“He is interested in coming back to South America.”
“Corinthians have made a different proposal than it is used to, but which is very common among many clubs.”
“We will commit 20 to 25 percent of our television rights in the next four years if Manchester City accepts the bid.”
Corinthians, one of Brazil’s most popular clubs, receive more than 45 million euros each year in TV rights.
City are believed to value their leading goalscorer last season at around 50 million pounds.
Any potential deal with Corinthians will need to be concluded quickly, with the Brazilian transfer window set to shut on July 20.
Real Madrid and Inter Milan have also been linked with moves for Tevez, who played for Corinthians between 2004 and 2006.
After arriving in England with West Ham in August 2006, Tevez joined Manchester United a year later before switching to local rivals City in July 2009.
The season of goodwill is upon us, and in the footballing world that signals only two things; watching Boxing Day matches in the freezing cold with the obligatory poultry-saturated hangover, and the January Transfer Window is just around the corner. As with your high street New Year sales, you have to see which shops are offering the best merchandise at the lowest possible price, and you must say, it seems as if Eastlands could see a flurry of interest in the early moments of 2011.
As with all teams with cash to burn and an insatiable appetite for quick success, Manchester City have spent fast and loose since Sheikh Mansour purchased the club. This means one of two things; either the new players will fit into the team, meaning others that were previously pivotal to the starting eleven will become surplus to requirements (for example Stephen Ireland). Or those that have been bought will not gel with the squad, perhaps seeking pastures new. Either way, clubs will certainly be keeping a close eye on proceedings at Eastlands over January as there will be a few top-class players looking for first-team football;
Shay Given
The Republic of Ireland goalkeeper was a star acquisition when he was purchased from Newcastle in 2009. With his rival for the number 1 shirt at Eastlands, Joe Hart, going out on loan to Birmingham for all of last season it seemed his place was safe. But with Hart impressing hugely this season for City, Given may well be looking for the exit, with many sides interested.
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Returning to City in 2008 having been surplus to requirements at Chelsea, Wright-Phillips looked to be settling in nicely. But with Roberto Mancini coming in as manager, and the likes of Adam Johnson and James Milner taking his place in the City side, the England international may be looking to re-ignite his career elsewhere.
Emmanuel Adebayor
After whinging his way out of Arsenal in the summer of 2009, the Togolese striker is discontented once more, this time with life at Eastlands. A lack of opportunities in the City first team has left the 26 year-old unhappy and wanting away from the blue half of Manchester,
With City reported willing to listen to offers for many other players, including Roque Santa-Cruz, Jo and Wayne Bridge and the club looking to streamline its squad, Eastlands could be a hotbed of activity over January, with most of it involving exports.
If you liked this and would like to read more, why not check out my blogs, or follow me on Twitter.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
“Don’t panic!” cried Ledley King as he hobbled across the pitch, desperately trying to rally his stuttering team-mates as the unfamiliar sound of boos echoed around White Hart Lane. The club had suffered yet another setback, this time with defeat at the hands of Norwich, leading many to announce that the wheels are rapidly falling off the Tottenham bandwagon. If only Harry was a wheeler-dealer.
If we cast our minds back to February 11, Spurs had just run riot against a seemingly formidable Newcastle side and sat just five points off the top of the Premier League. New signing Louis Saha had bagged a brace on his home debut as things continued to look rosy for Harry Redknapp. The Lilywhites were riding the crest of a very impressive wave but now with the wind firmly out of their sails, the club is in real danger of drifting past those desirable European shores.
The January transfer window was to an extent a missed opportunity, as hoards of journalists eagerly awaited the next inspired acquisition from Harry Redknapp. Instead they were greeted by Louis Saha and Ryan Nelsen, two players who had long since celebrated their 30th birthdays and who shared a history of troublesome injuries that would arguably see them spend more time on the treatment table than on the pitch. However, morale was high and with Harry somewhat distracted elsewhere, the decision to purchase experience over youthful exuberance was hailed as a wise move.
Saha, through no fault of his own, has unfortunately created more problems than he has solved. Redknapp appeared desperate to justify his latest purchase and set about altering the successful formula of 4-5-1 to the untested and largely old-fashioned 4-4-2. Despite his double against the Toon Army, the Frenchman has only found the net once in his following eight appearances. Nelsen on the other hand was brought in to provide cover for the team’s ailing backline. However, with Dawson out for the season and King’s knee constantly surrounded by scaffolding, the New Zealander has found himself thrust into the first-team and he too has struggled with the intensity of life at the top.
[ad_pod id=’unruly’ align=’right’]
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but many would argue that Tottenham could have signalled their intent with a high profile signing. Lille sensation Eden Hazard has previously confirmed his interest in joining the North London club, perhaps his arrival in January would have been the perfect source of motivation to enable the club to progress. Other potential targets included Villarreal’s Giuseppe Rossi and Marseille’s Loic Remy who could have revitalised a strike force that was shrouded in mystery regarding the future of both Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe.
The current ‘crisis’ at Spurs is not simply down to the lack of transfer activity but rather Redknapp’s reliance or perhaps defiance over his ‘winning eleven’. His conversion to the new formation only further exposed a lack of squad depth, epitomised by the lack of competition and indeed cover for both his marauding full-backs. It’s no great mystery that Spurs rely on Van Der Vaart to implement their preferred 4-5-1 system effectively and seriously struggle for width in Lennon’s absence and when Bale inexplicably decides to go walkabout. The fact that eight players have started 27 league games or more highlights Redknapp’s much-publicised favouritism towards certain players, with the likes of Sandro and Livermore exhibiting a deficiency in match practice whenever they’ve been called upon.
Aside from the growing physical demands of their league and cup campaigns, Spurs have certainly struggled to overcome psychological barriers in recent weeks. The club were deemed heavy favourites for third place when their run-in revealed teams decorating the bottom half of the league. But complacency has borrowed its way into the mindset and suddenly their upcoming games against QPR, Blackburn and Bolton, three teams that are fighting relegation, look anything but a certainty.
Forgive me for dipping into the world of football clichés but it’s evident that this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final provides a much-needed ‘distraction’. In my personal view the momentum has swung back in Chelsea’s favour given their revitalisation under Roberto Di Matteo. Is that a sign of just how far Spurs have come, given that they could ever be described as favourites against a team like Chelsea, or does it show just how much far they’ve fallen from grace?
Find me on Twitter @theunusedsub where I’ll probably be having my roast dinner in front of the television given Sunday’s inconvenient kick-off time.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
***
What are your football betting habits? Answer a few simple questions in our survey below and you’ll be in with a chance of winning a pair of Premier League tickets* for next season…
Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world’s leading questionnaire tool.
*We will endeavour to provide tickets for your first choice match.
The managerial shuffle in Spain continued on Tuesday as Marcelino Garcia Toral was appointed coach of Sevilla and Luis Garcia left Levante.Garcia Toral walked away from Racing Santander after a spat with owner Ahsan Ali Syed at the end of last season, a move that has yet to be confirmed by his former club.
Nevertheless, Sevilla have taken the opportunity to spruik their new manager in a press conference on Tuesday, welcoming the 45-year-old as the successor to Gregorio Manzano.
“I believe we have a coach for the long term. It’s the first time I have drawn up a contract like Marcelino’s,” club president Jose Maria del Nido said.
“He is signing for one season with an option for two more depending on results.”
Manzano was let go by the club at the conclusion of the last campaign, which saw Sevilla finish fifth on the table and miss out on a Champions League berth by four points.
Meanwhile, Luis Garcia has rescinded his contract after three seasons with Levante, freeing him up for a rumoured move to Getafe.
Garcia led Levante back to the top-flight for the first time in three years in 2009/10, and earned plaudits for keeping the club aloft in the most recent campaign.
Now, the 38-year-old has reportedly agreed to pay Levante one million euro so he can defect to Getafe, who sacked Michel after narrowly avoiding relegation.
“Luis Garcia, coach of Levante the past three seasons, has today cut his ties with our club,” said a statement on Levante’s website.
Getafe President Angel Torres told Spanish media: “We are going to offer him (Garcia) a three-year contract. He is a young coach with character and he done things very well at Levante.”
In another jam and pickle packed plastic lunchbox of a Premiership week, Mario Balotelli introduces English football to his funky footwork, Owen Coyle revels in his crowning achievement and an endangered species is spotted at Old Trafford.