Manchester City are the latest team to be linked with a move for Southampton starlet Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and are ready to hijack Arsenal’s move for the player.
Just a day after Arsenal seemed set to land the sought-after striker, Manchester City have declared an interest and are willing to offer Southampton more money for their 17 year-old prodigy. However Southampton have previously stated that they will only allow Oxlade-Chamberlain to join the team who are best equipped to continue his remarkable development, so City’s finances may have to take a backseat in negotiations.
City administrator Brian Marwood is expected to meet with the teenager’s advisors later this week in the hope that they can thrash out a deal before the window shuts which may include loaning Oxlade-Chamberlain back to Southampton for the rest of the season.
It is thought that Oxlade-Chamberlain is desperate to secure his big Premier League move as soon as possible and retains hopes that a deal can be signed in the remaining days of the window.
Liverpool and Manchester United are also known to have shown an interest in the player and it remains to be seen where he will end up in February.
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“The transfer window is going nuts as it comes to a close”. Rio Ferdinand wasn’t wrong when he posted this on his Twitter account earlier on Monday morning. Liverpool could have been accused of panic buying after losing their top marksman, whilst Carlo Ancelotti attempted to get Chelsea’s season back on track by signing Fernando Torres and David Luiz.
Kenny Dalglish needed to react after losing Torres. It’s not exactly been straightforward for the Anfield club this season but making Andy Carroll England’s most expensive ever striker after signing him for £35 million is excessive. The player has demonstrated huge quality since he was handed the heralded number 9 shirt at Newcastle, but we have to put things in to perspective. Wayne Rooney didn’t cost that much, neither did Torres when he joined Liverpool. Tottenham have been linked with pretty much every striker who isn’t already at White Hart Lane, but even then, players like Sergio Aguero were rumoured to cost less than what Carroll has gone to Liverpool for.
In the capital, Chelsea have been arguably the most active on this frantic last day. Ancelotti clearly feels that his side need some added quality as he has brought in cultured Brazilian defender Luiz and of course, Fernando Torres. Not a bad way to give the title chase one last stab!
Done
I think it’s fair to say that Liverpool’s signing of Carroll was a little knee-jerk. He doesn’t represent value for that kind of money. Carroll now has a massive task. If justifying that kind of money isn’t hard enough, Carroll also has to fill the shows of someone who achieved hero status in the Kop, in a very short space of time. Speaking to a Newcastle fan, he was screaming to sell – let’s not forget what £35 million can get you these days. Newcastle’s aim this season was to stay in the league. If they achieve that, which they should do even without Carroll, then they can use the money to rebuild.
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Chelsea have obviously identified that they are weak, too weak to mount a real title bid, so they have gone for it. Considering the money spent, and the pressure he has already been under, the two signings represent something of a last chance saloon for manager Carlo Ancelotti.
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Everton boss David Moyes has praised striker Louis Saha, whose four goals on Saturday lifted them to a thrilling 5-3 win over Blackpool.
In a see-sawing encounter at Goodison Park, Everton were 2-1 up then 3-2 down after an hour before Saha levelled the scores and a cracking volley from Jermaine Beckford put Everton 4-3 in front.
Saha sealed the win with his fourth goal six minutes from full-time, and Moyes was full of praise for the 32-year-old Frenchman, who has overcome a sluggish start to the season to score eight goals from his past six league games, with six of those in the league.
“He was unplayable and unstoppable. Use whatever words you want to use, but that was Louis today,” Moyes told Sky Sports.
“He took his goals great and he led the line brilliantly getting other people into the game.”
Moyes also reserved praise for Ian Holloway’s Blackpool side, whose attacking play has won plenty of admirers this season.
“I’ve had a chance to see them a few times and they’re great entertainment for anybody watching them,” he said.
“For us and our supporters today it was a really good result and a good performance as well albeit a couple of defensive lapses. We had to score five goals to win it.”
Blackpool boss Holloway lamented some poor defending from his side, who have now lost their past five English Premier League games – and seven of their past eight – to sit in 15th position, just four points clear of the drop zone.
“That’s what’s happening to us, to be perfectly honest with you we committed suicide there,” Holloway said.
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“Some of that defending I’m quite embarrassed about, we’ve got to sort that out.”
“We got ourselves in front and I tried to do what we did against Liverpool and solid it up, we had about 10, 12 minutes left.”
“That’s three weeks in a row now that’s happened, but the lads have got to stop feeling sorry for themselves and look at it.”
The Football Association have charged Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson with improper conduct on Thursday.Ferguson was quoted by club channel MUTV as stating he ‘feared the worst’ when he saw referee Martin Atkinson was to take charge for United’s English Premier League clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, before commenting that his side failed to get ‘a fair referee or a strong referee anyway’.The comments were fuelled by Atkinson’s decision not to send off Chelsea’s David Luiz, despite the Brazilian seeming to trip United striker Wayne Rooney while on a yellow card.To rub salt in United’s wounds, the central referee later gave captain Nemanja Vidic his marching orders in second-half injury time, ruling the centre-back out of his side’s trip to Liverpool on Sunday.The 69-year-old Ferguson looks likely to face a two-game touchline ban when his case is heard next week, with the ban delayed given the FA regards such a case as ‘non-standard’.The Scot’s two-game ban is likely given he served two of a suspended four-match ban last season for comments regarding referee Alan Wiley’s fitness.The delay in enforcing the punishment means Ferguson will be allowed in the technical area at Anfield.
Nothing would please Liverpool fans more than putting a dent in United’s title chances tomorrow in what promises to be a lively game at Anfield. Kenny Dalglish’s men could certainly with a victory, having gone off the boil in recent weeks.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Liverpool blogs that includes five set for the chop at Anfield; realistic ambitions for Liverpool, while two cheap deals to solve the reds’ problems.
We also look at the best Liverpool articles around the web this week.
*
Top TEN funniest football chants of recent times
The Top TEN Premier League Wag Imports…well I would!
*
FIVE set for the summer chop at Anfield?
Will supporters be hit in the pocket in light of new rulings?
So why are Harry, Kenny and Fergie keen to splash cash on him?
Liverpool’s Top TEN Cult Heroes
Liverpool refuse to budge over £11m fee
Premier League trio in battle for Hungarian Star
Who is England’s most hated footballer?
What is a realistic ambition for Liverpool?
14 reasons why the future is bright at Liverpool?
TWO cheap deals to solve Liverpool’s current problems
*Best of Web*
The honeymoon is over; looking forward to the future – This is Anfield
Should we stay or should we go? – Tomkins Times
Does Kelly’s Emergence Pile More Pressure on Spearing? – This is Anfield
The signings we need to make to capture title No.19 – Live4Liverpool
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5 reasons why Aquilani should return in the summer – Our Kop
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The Premier League is home to some of the best football stadia in the world. Manchester United’s ground Old Trafford has the biggest capacity, while the likes of Anfield (the home of Liverpool) and White Hart Lane (the home of Tottenham) can claim to have the best atmosphere, but the Emirates Stadium has been voted the best away ground to visit in Britain.
Arsenal’s move away from Highbury was a tough one for the Gunners to make, but the Emirates Stadium is now firmly their home. The 60,000 plus capacity stadium has already experienced some great nights, with the 2-1 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League earlier this year one that springs to mind, while Arsenal fans will be hoping Arsene Wenger has some silverware to parade there very soon.
The Emirates Stadium has been built to a very high standard and gives a great viewing experience for fans, while also bringing in plenty of revenue for Arsenal Football Club. Does it boast the atmosphere of one of Britain’s traditional stadiums though and is the Emirates Stadium the best away ground to visit? Let us know what you think…
To see the rest of the results from the Football Fans Survey 2011, brought to you by ZOO Magazine and FootballFanCast.com, click here
With Kenny Dalglish expected to take the Liverpool manager’s job permanently in the summer, both he and Director of Football Damien Comolli will be looking to shape a squad capable of challenging for the Premier League. With Comolli stating it will be a “busy summer” in the transfer market, it looks as if Reds owner Fenway Sports Group will be looking to splash some cash. With perhaps 4 or 5 players needed in the summer (two wingers, left back, defensive midfielder and a centre back?), a clearout of deadwood will be needed.
Starting with the strikers, the arrival of Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez, means there is greater strength up front but I think we can expect Serbian forward Milan Jovanovic to depart this summer. He has been used relatively little by both Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish, and rejected a move to Wolfsburg in January. I anticipate the Serbian to depart just a year after arriving from Standard Liege on a free transfer. The future of David Ngog is a little less certain. Although still young at 22 years of age, Comolli and Dalglish may seek to look for another striker, and with Dirk Kuyt being used more often as a striker, instead of Ngog, under Dalglish, there is a chance of the Frenchman leaving if another striker arrives.
The midfield is certainly the area where most changes will be implemented in the summer. With Christian Poulsen completely failing to adapt to the pace of the Premier League, the Dane will almost certainly be departing in the summer with Udinese his most likely destination. It will leave Lucas Leiva as the only really effective defensive midfielder in the squad, barring Jay Spearing, and I would expect Damien Comolli is already scouting a new holding midfielder. Moussa Sissoko stated to L’Equipe yesterday that he is seeking to leave Toulouse and the Reds have been touted as a possible destination. In regards to Alberto Aquilani, the future is less certain than Poulsen’s and he could very well find himself back at Anfield come the summer.
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In regards to the wings, the failures of Jovanovic, Maxi Rodriguez and Joe Cole to really perform to their optimum level means all three of their places in the squad are under threat. As mentioned above, Jovanovic is likely to go, but the summer could also see Joe Cole departing. Injuries and a lack of form have hampered the former England international’s first year at Anfield, and the fact that he is not a regular starter in league matches under Dalglish, means there are massive question marks over his future. With ex Reds, and other pundits, calling out for wingers to support Andy Carroll, Comolli and Dalglish will probably be very focused on this area of the pitch, and Maxi Rodriguez maybe the only one to survive as a squad player next season.
At the back, the massive problem for the Reds, over the last couple of years, has been at left back. Paul Konchesky looks set to return to Fulham next summer after not even being given a game by Dalglish before being sent out on loan to Notts Forest. The constant injuries to Fabio Aurelio will also mean that the Reds may look for two full backs in the summer. Emiliano Insua is likely to return from his loan spell at Galatasaray, and could fill one of the two spots if deemed worthy by Dalglish, but I would anticipate the Argentine departing this summer too. The centre of defence may also be addressed with Soto getting on in years and the big Greek maybe a surprise departure in the summer if the Reds can find a suitable younger replacement who can also deputise for the injury prone Daniel Agger.
In goal, everyone hopes Pepe Reina will stay but his future is still up in the air. The deputy goalkeeper Brad Jones may depart though as Dalglish has sent the player out on loan to get first team action while using young keepers as reserves for Reina.
Read more of David’s articles at Live4Liverpool
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PSV Eindhoven made a mess of a gilt-edged opportunity to join Twente in the Eredivisie lead on Sunday, drawing 2-2 with visiting Heerenveen.The title hopefuls salvaged a point at the Philips Stadion thanks to substitute Ola Toivonen’s injury-time strike, but missed a chance to join Twente on 64 points after the reigning champions were held 1-1 by Roda JC.
PSV took the lead in the 58th minute on Jeremain Lens’ opener, but goals from Ousama Assaidi and Bas Dost in a nightmarish three-minute period left the hosts gasping for breath.
It seemed it could only get worse for PSV as veteran defender Wilfred Bouma saw red in the 80th minute, but Sweden striker Toivonen kept their campaign alive and his club within two points of Twente with his last-gasp equaliser.
Netherlands international Lens needed a bit of luck to nab PSV’s opener, swiping across his body at a loose ball after Atiba Hutchinson’s heavy touch fell fortuitously for his team-mate.
That prompted the introduction of substitute Luciano Narsingh for Heerenveen, which paid dividends when he bullied his way down the right and cut back for Assaidi’s equaliser 12 minutes later.
Narsingh’s pace again proved problematic three minutes later, with the 20-year-old beating Erik Pieters in a foot-race to a well-placed through ball and setting up Dost for Heerenveen’s second goal.
But there was time for Toivonen to pounce on Lens’ desperate cross from the right in the first minute of injury time.
Elsewhere, Twente also salvaged a point when Theo Janssen netted a late penalty in a match where both sides went down to 10 men.
Roda substitute Boldizsar Bodor was introduced on the hour and made his presence known up forward, firing a low strike from 18 yards out to put the visitors ahead 1-0 in the 77th minute.
But Roda goalkeeper Mateusz Prus turned villain by upending Costa Rica striker Bryan Ruiz in a one-on-one challenge. He earned a red card for his troubles and conceded a spot kick to Janssen, who calmly finished past substitute keeper Collin van Eijk.
Twente held on for the draw despite losing defender Roberto Rosales to a late red, with the Venezuelan given his marching orders for cutting down Dane Morten Skoubo in the 95th minute.
In other results, Ajax’s title tilt took another twist as the Amsterdam giants defeated Groningen 2-0.
Miralem Sulejmani (69) and Jan Vertonghen (72) fired off back-to-back strikes to drag third-placed Ajax within one point of PSV and three points of Twente.
Finally, Utrecht slumped to a third straight loss with a 4-0 thumping at the hands of visiting Feyenoord.
Aston Villa have confirmed manager Gerard Houllier will miss the club’s final four Premier League matches of the season.Houllier, 63, is under observation after complaining of chest pains last week, and the Frenchman previously endured major heart surgery in 2001 while in charge of Liverpool.
Houllier was absent from the touchline for Villa’s 1-1 draw at home against Stoke on Saturday, and his assistant Gary McAllister has been placed in charge of the team until the end of the season.
Villa director general Charles Krulak said the priority was for Houllier to get well without the pressure of management.
“It is serious, something that we have to be concerned about,” Krulak said.
“I am afraid he will not be on the sidelines for the remainder of our games. The key is his health and that he recovers completely.”
McAllister, a former manager at Leeds and Coventry, said he will have no problems stepping into the role but concedes he is relatively inexperienced.
“The facts are I’m a professional man. I’m the number two and when the manager is not here, I’ve got to go in,” McAllister said.
“I’m fortunate I’ve managed another big city club in Leeds and another not far away from here at Coventry.”
“I’m trying to get better at knowing the character of the modern-day player.”
“My experience is not massive. My main experience is coming from being an ex-player.”
McAllister said he was unsure when Houllier would return to work.
“We are very much in the hands of the specialist. There is a lot of monitoring going on, there are loads of machines in and around Gerard,” he said.
“As far as I am concerned, the way I see it, it is a bit early to suggest the length of time he is going to be in there or what the next step is.”
What was frustrating about the defeat against Bolton, was the unerring predictability of the defeat. Even Arsene had to admit that if we finish third then it will be an unsatisfactory season. He conceded that this was one of the easiest run ins that his team has had to face for many seasons. Yet because of a lack of maturity and experience we took only 2 points out of a possible 9 to see our hopes of winning the Premiership destroyed. There was no real pressure in evidence. These players are paid an obscene amount of money to deliver, and barely a handful do, and this is why Arsenal fail and will continue to do so until things change. The attitude of our Manager in his almost papal infallibility is evidenced by his response to a question about whether he would consider moving away from his beliefs and principles to change the situation for Arsenal? He replied thus…
“If you can convince me that the principles are wrong then I am ready”
But the truth is there is no one around him that is willing to challenge him or convince him. He went on further to say
“ Something is wrong in our team, It’s not the principles that are wrong… There is something wrong defensively…”
HELLO???
Arsene, I am heartily sick of repeating this mantra.
“Success begins at the back!”
I can no longer defend Arsene Wenger. But be clear, I am not calling for him to go, but to be frank, I am so frustrated and angry that next season will be my last at the Emirates, if nothing changes, then I will join the legion of divided and disillusioned Arsenal fans and support this club from afar. For enough is enough. I have patience but I am losing respect for a culture that refuses to allow an alternative credo to surface. My reasoning is simple, if the Manager ergo “The Club ” is not willing to invest in experienced match winning players, then why should I invest in two gold memberships at almost four thousand pounds? He is trying yet again to protect the average squad players who have failed to deliver time after time after time. He has asked us to blame him not the players. He cannot fault the player’s attitudes, and he is at pains to point out that he, Arsene Wenger was responsible for choosing the players.
Yes in that respect Arsene is right. His fingerprints are all over the scene of the crime. The Wenger philosophy is basically
“There is no I in team”
This is an often well worn quote that originated from one of the world’s best coaches of college basketball, John R Wooden was coach of UCLA who between 1963 and 1975 won 10 of the 12 available NCAA Championships. His short quotes inspired players and his principles laid the foundation of good team play. Yet this quote can be seen as the root cause of many of Arsene’s convictions. The team ethic has been taken too far. It is this ethos that now paralyses our players, it creates uncertainty in their minds. The very absence of leaders on the pitch, the failure to be selfish in front of goal and take an obvious chance, and finally the failure to instil a “Die for the cause” mentality in his players is because of the collective team ethos. Arsene knows that confidence in young players is fragile, and to blame players could result in those players failing to achieve their potential.
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The problem at Arsenal, is that we no longer have world class role models for the youth to learn from. They have to learn from each other. From what ex-players have said about Arsene’s technique of communication, basically means that these players will not receive a Ferguson style hairdryer ticking off when they underperform, instead they will be comforted and reassured. It seems that only the bottles of water in the dug out get to receive Arsene’s real wrath. Goal Keepers apart, Arsene very rarely drops players who repeatedly make mistakes or who fail to deliver. It is this ethos of team responsibility for success or failure that is almost political in it’s application. Arsene’s reliance upon his conviction is what is paralysing our club at the moment. Unless there are changes of personnel around him then this conviction will prove difficult to change.
Where is the the evidence for my assertion?
In 2008, Theo Walcott scored a hatrick for England against Croatia, he became an overnight sensation. There was a clamour for the young man to become the next Thierry Henry, but Arsene’s response was
“For me, it’s important he continues to develop as a team player,”
Next the question of the lack of passionate leaders on the field…
Denilson was quoted as stating that Fabregas was not a natural leader, Arsene Wenger responded
“We have a shared leadership in our team but I believe Fabregas is an outstanding leader, especially when you consider he’s 23 years old, with personality and character, and Van Persie as well.
“I believe what is important in the way we want to play football is that everyone takes responsibility.”
This team ethos is laudable but has it gone too far? There is the sharing of wealth too, just look at our wage bill for a start. But how many £30 million players do we possess. To warrant the third highest wage bill in the premier league? Again Arsene’s obsession with making sure that there is no “I” in team. We all get paid handsomely, so where is the desire or aspiration to get a high wage by good performances, if you can receive a king’s ransom for just sitting on the bench? I argue that too many ordinary players are overpaid, and this will present a barrier to bringing in established players. Something that Stan Kroenke and Ivan Gazidis should have the balls to address. We have 18 players out on loan, but I bet that we are paying the majority of their wages as the sums will be probably too high for Championship Clubs to afford.
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At the start of the season Arsene Wenger failed to buy a new Keeper, leading to uncertainty in his back four. Squillaci was never ever going to be a top draw centre back, and the loss of Vermaelen exposed Wenger’s gamble. We have continued to let in set pieces and this has been the case for at least three seasons, but do we see a change in our defensive tactics and application of these fundamental BASIC training ground skills by the players? When in front of goal with a chance to score, players will instinctively look to pass to the player next to them, again searching for team goals. Even Arsene Wenger’s attacking philosophy is under strain. The absence of a 30 goals a season striker to replace Thierry Henry, and the chance in formation to 4-3-3 means that we employ a team approach to scoring goals. Robin van Persie apart, there appears to be no other potent striker anywhere in our club.
We need a number two keeper, an experienced centre back, a Song replacement, and a proven goal scorer. But already before the season has ended Arsene has ruled out any major changes to his personnel. I would love to see Arsenal buy the likes of Cahill and Scott Parker, who would instil the fighting qualities that we so badly need. We are not very far from reaching the top, but what again is very frustrating, is the refusal to make those buys. I don’t want to hear about the transfer targets that we failed in getting, it obvious for all to see that this squad needs a clear out and fresh new hungry blood brought in, but if we don’t point fingers and allocate blame, then that is tantamount to saying that really nothing much will change. If we fail to make those changes then let us be clear, Arsene Wenger will never win the Premiership again let alone the Champions League for our rivals will continue to strengthen their squads.
So where am I on the page? As I said at the beginning, I can no longer defend Arsene Wenger, but neither will I join the ranks of those calling for his head. Arsene Wenger has earned the right to decide his own fate after what he has done for our club. But clearly someone close to Arsene needs to challenge his current approach. We need new defensive coaching staff, we need new experienced players to strengthen our squad, and if Arsene Wenger does decide to go in two seasons time we need ?Pep Guardiola! But let us hope that I am wrong, yet I fear that his refusal to change will lead to a tarnishing of his legacy, which would be a great pity after all that he has done for Arsenal Football Club.
Article courtesy of FTK from the excellent Arsenal Insider