AC Milan are preparing to make a £3m offer for QPR playmaker Adel Taarabt, if the Super Hoops are relegated from the Premier League, according to reports from the Fulham & Hammersmith Chronicle.
The Italian giants have highlighted the mercurial midfielder as one of their main transfer targets, as they look to add some attacking creativity to their squad.
However, they are only willing to do a deal on the cheap, a situation that will be far more likely if the Londoners are relegated to the Championship.
After defeat to Fulham on Monday night, a game in which Taarabt scored, QPR are joint bottom of the table and seven points for safety.
A comeback appears to be unlikely, which has sparked AC Milan’s interest in the Moroccan.
The Loftus Road club tied Taarabt down to a long-term deal last summer, and as a result of this will be far from keen to lose him for a reduced fee.
But, with the financial hit that dropping to the second tier would bring, it’s unlikely that they will be able to reject any serious offers.
The 23-year-old himself may also be looking to move to a big club, with his self-confident approach well known.
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If relegated, QPR will also face a fight to keep the likes of Julio Cesar, Christopher Samba and Loic Remy at Loftus Road.
Swansea played out the longest game in Premier League history against Man City last weekend, and will be frustrated that they could not take all three points as they outplayed City for long stretches. The longest game in Premier League history was a test on player fitness, and Swansea covered the most ground they have in a single game this season with 66.92 miles, led by Jonathan de Guzman’s 7.01 miles, the most by a single Swansea player this season.
Jonathan de Guzman has impressed for Swansea this season, and leads the team for passes completed in the opposition half with 199 so far this season.
A good performance was marred by injury to goalkeeper Michel Vorm. Vorm has been a key figure for Swansea this season and had made 45 saves so far in nine games
Angel Rangel picked up a booking against City, and is one of only two players to have now been booked five times this season, along with Wigan’s James McArthur
Miguel Michu has been Swansea’s star player this season, and he can now count speed among the qualities in which he is dominating the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Michu was clocked at 23.06 mph against City, the 7th fastest speed registered so far this season.
Chelsea’s last Premier League game against Man Utd has made headlines, but that aside was a scintillating game of football. Goals from Juan Mata and Ramires weren’t enough to prevent a 3-2 defeat for the blues. As well as his goal, Ramires committed five fouls in the game against Manchester United, the joint highest in the last round of games Mata’s goal was his fourth of the season, coming from 19 shots at goal with 68% on target and at a rate of 21% of shots converted to goals.
Fernando Torres was controversially sent off in the game, in a moment which will blot an otherwise excellent start to the season for the Spanish striker. Torres has four goals this season from just 14 shots at goal, an impressive conversion rate of 29%.
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Liverpool are set to conclude a deal for Finnish striker Joel Pohjanpalo, according to reports from The Metro.
The Premier League club began scouting the HJK Helsinki star nearly ninths ago, but are now close to tying up a deal to bring the frontman to the club.
The 18-year-old shot to fame last season netting 33 goals in 23 appearances for his club’s reserve team, but the Reds were reluctant to conclude a deal due to a lack of top-level experience.
However, the forward has responded to this by notching 19 goals in the Helsinki first-team.
As a result many clubs across Europe are monitoring the situation, but having taken the forward on a week-long trial, the Merseysiders are believed to be in pole position.
Pohjanpalo is also a lifelong fan of the club, which should make the conclusion of any deal a little easier for both parties.
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It is rumoured that a fee of £1m would be enough to take him from his homeland to England and that would suit the club’s reluctance to spend big following the disastrous additions during the Kenny Dalglish reign.
Pohjanpalo is yet to make a senior debut at international level, but has been capped on five occasions for the Finland U-21 team, during which time he has scored once.
Paul Lambert has banned mobile phones and laptops in the dressing room on match days and also at training.
The Scot is attempting to improve discipline at Villa, as he looks to reinvigorate the Midlands club after a miserable season, and opening day defeat this year.
The Daily Telegraph witnessed Lambert’s disciplinarian philosophy at a fans forum this week, “If you are a professional footballer, then it’s not a hobby it’s your job.” The 43 year old said.
“You are at the training ground to work. If you train the way you play, then I don’t have a problem with it. But iPhones and iPads are a distraction. I’m here to win football matches not play on a computer.”
Another innovation courtesy of the ex-Norwich manager is that the dugouts have been swapped at Villa Park. Lambert is hoping moving the home dugout closer to the Holte End stand, will further motivate the Villa.
Villa host Everton this weekend and Lambert will be hoping on an instant improvement from last term’s home form, where the Birmingham club won only four league matches.
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A wet Boxing Day afternoon in Welsh capital, a sell out crowd with both sets of supporters in full voice and full of festive cheer set in scene for a thrilling top-of-the-table clash at CCS.
Cardiff kicked off attacking the Grange End, passing the ball freely while feeling their way into the match but a misplaced pass was punched on by Bolasie who took off on a counter attacking run down the right. He earned the Eagles a corner which was driven in at an awkward height, Cardiff failed clear it, it fell to Palace captain Mile Jedinak who volleyed the ball home from inside the six yard area.
With just four minutes in the clock The Bluebirds were a goal behind.
Things got worse for the home team when captain Mark Hudson was booked for a hasty challenge on Zaha after nine minutes. Palace had the upper hand, composed and confident on the ball, although Cardiff did forge chances their selves; Bellamy was inches away from a lofted Mutch ball while Peter Whittingham took a long-range free kick which the Palace defence cleared it, but only as far as Craig Noone, who hit a ferocious volley that sailed wide.
A second Whittingham free kick faired little better, it was blocked Helguson hit a shot off the rebound straight at a Palace defender, they broke immediately on the counter attack Cardiff were wide open. Zaha picked up the ball near the touchline, and made it to the edge of the box unchallenged before cutting onto his right and bending a shot to the far corner. The ball ricocheted off the crossbar, The Bluebirds big Scottish ‘keeper David Marshall was forced into a stupendous reaction save from the follow up effort, the Cardiff supporters all breathed a sigh of relief we were still in the game.
Whittingham charged down the right, playing an a cute pass to Bellamy, but the local legend and world class striker couldn’t quite direct his effort towards goal, it felt like he was trying too hard. The lively Bolasie was then booked for a foul on Noone, Bellamy collected the ball on the left, and drilled a low cross into the path of Noone, the winger’s left-footed shot left Palace goalkeeper Speroni with absolutely no chance. On the stroke of half time Cardiff had leveled.
The Cardiff defence were resilient, but they needed to be, captain Mark Hudson in particular was using his strength well to keep Zaha quiet.
Cardiff searched for what felt like would be the killer next goal. Bellamy was flagged offside on what would have been a golden opportunity, and Whittingham played an exquisite ball to release Conway, but he was blocked before he could make anything of his run.
Cardiff’s best chance of the second half so far came from a Whittingham free kick in a deep position which found its intended target Mark Hudson. The Bluebirds captain headed back to Gunnarsson, the Icelander coolly passed the ball to Bellamy who’s shot hit the underside of Speroni’s bar before bouncing out and being hoofed clear.
Conway then won a free kick on the right hand side of the Palace box, Whittingham’s much-anticipated effort deflected over to give City a corner. Bellamy whipped the ball to the near post, and Aron Gunnarsson jumped and placed his header firmly past Speroni’s, for his sixth goal of the season.
Cardiff were now in the ascendancy, frustration set in for Palace who gave away a series of niggly free kicks in dangerous areas, but Cardiff could only come close from one of them.
Mason came on to partner Gestede up front with Bellamy moving to left wing, and Mason’s movement stretched Palace within minutes of him coming on.
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Crystal Palace manager Ian Holloway decided to roll the last of his sides’ dice he replaced booked right back Parr with forward Easter in an attempt to salvage a point, but the Eagles were reduced to long range efforts and their passing was going astray.
The final whistle blew to rapturous applause from the sold-out Cardiff Boxing Day fixture which had seen Cardiff City became the first team in British football to reach the half-century points mark, and go five points clear at the top of the Championship.
I’m not interested in scaremongering, but there are serious problems at Leeds that need to be addressed quickly.
Over the last few months Leeds fans have gone from daring to dream about oil rich billionaires to having nightmares about cash strapped banks. Throughout this time, one concern has been bubbling under the surface which is being slowly considered by more and more of the fan base. Administration.
Administration would be a disaster for Leeds at any point of the season, but the clubs finances and actions suggest that the last few months of the current campaign are going to be a massive struggle.
Many people simply look at the fact that we are debt free and assume that administration is impossibility, but just how debt free are we?
After all, we effectively took a loan out on the future sales of season tickets. We were told by Bates 12 months before being placed into administration that he had shrunk our debt to under £10 million, only for it to be revealed that the debt was actually in excess of £35 million. Finally, consider how Ken left Chelsea with around £20 million of hidden debt, and even the most neutral fans must start to wonder.
Not only that, but where have these ‘debt free’ claims come from? Who has actually told us that it is a fact that we are free of debt?
Ken Bates.
And whilst the majority of fans are happy to label him as a liar and a cheat, they seem accepting of this statement as being the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Even if the club are debt free, what money do we actually have? As the recent financial reports show that we have once again only avoided making a loss because of player sales.
The summer proved that the club have no money to spend, Warnock had to wheel and deal to make sure he could bring players in and you have to admire the job he did considering the circumstances, but what good will that prove to be if the club plunge into administration by the end of the season?
Falling attendances, dwindling interest and a fan base devoid of hope. Three ingredients that will only serve to cause further problems for the club financially.
The fans have spent the last few months willing the takeover by GFH Capital to be completed with the promise of investment that will ensure our return to the Premier League, though the recent reports that have surrounded the finances of GFH make those promises seem worryingly hard to fulfill GFH seem to have little financial clout on their own, we can only hope that they have wealthy financial backers ready to plough money into the club.
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Either way, Bates will leave. Leeds entering administration would be his 3rd strike, and he would no longer pass the Football Leagues ‘fit and proper persons test’.
How he passed it in the first place is anyone’s guess.
Sunderland are believed to have contacted Michael Owen’s representatives in a bid to sign the veteran forward, The Guardian state.
The ageing striker is a free agent after being released by Manchester United at the tail-end of last season, and did not sign for a new club over the summer.
The Black Cats are eager to build on the transfer window signings of Louis Saha, Steven Fletcher and Adam Johnson, and will make an attempt to bring Owen to the Stadium of Light.
Despite Martin O’Neill’s interest in the forward, Stoke still remain favourites to land the attacker and have been working on a deal to sign Owen over the last week.
Owen has also been linked with the likes of Everton, Liverpool and West Ham over the last month, but for the time being the forward’s options appear limited to Stoke and Sunderland.
Meanwhile, The Daily Mail state that Brendan Rodgers will make a move for Owen to bolster his attacking options.
The Merseysiders only have Luis Suarez and Fabio Borini in their squad as attackers and the Northern Irish manager could attempt to bring Owen back to Anfield.
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In England, there’s always a rush, a sense of premature excitement, and you’ve got to believe that most of it stems from the lack of success and real hope from international football. England have only just been released from the traps in properly educating young footballers in the country, frantically putting together an idea while other nations are seeing the successes of their works that have long been in motion.
England’s loss to Italy at Euro 2012 saw a wave of depression sweep over the country that England didn’t have a player like Andrea Pirlo, someone who can dictate a game with such flawless fluidity and grace and round it off with a penalty that leaves everyone shaking their heads. Paul Scholes was something similar, but England didn’t know how to use him. Recently the country have been cursing their misfortune at not being able to entice the Manchester United midfielder out of international retirement.
But everything England are doing now is rushed and has a greater probability of failure than success. English football gets a sniff of a half decent youngster and the first idea is to throw him into the senior England squad. The sense of unwarranted overexcitement stretches to the assumption that England can win a major international tournament, despite showing absolutely no signs of it and disregarding the quality of other nations.
Wilfried Zaha was the latest the be forced into the limelight; a youngster who has just recently left his teenage years behind and who doesn’t know what it means to kick a Premier League ball. There’s the issue of securing him for England and not losing out to the Ivory Coast, but so much unnecessary hype has been made of this kid that unless he has a strong head on his shoulders, it could all go south before long.
Many viewers had not even seen the player perform for Crystal Palace, yet there were many who wanted Roy Hodgson to offer him a grander stage than just the final few minutes of the friendly against Sweden. Why? What good does it do to rush the development of youth in such a way?
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was the same last year, having only spent a few months in the Premier League before the idea of him representing England at the European Championships was brought up. What good did it do? England were not going to win the competition with him in it, yet he now seems a regular in the senior squad without really establishing himself and receiving a proper education in the U21 squad. He may be good enough for the senior team now, but that’s not the point?
Gerard Deulofeu is one of the brightest prospects in Catalonia, Oliver Torres could light up the Vicente Calderon in a few years and Sevilla’s Jose Campana seems to be another midfield star on the rise. Forget how good Spain’s senior squad are now and the options available to them, there isn’t a sense of rushing these kids into first team duties and the pressures of the big stage before they’re ready.
Taking Deulofeu and Jese Rodriguez to the U19s European Championship is always the right move. Inigo Martinez, Alvaro Vazquez, Ander Herrera and Martin Montoya are better suited to developing at the U21s tournament. Germany are also reaping the rewards of giving Mesut Ozil, Mats Hummels, Sami Khedira and Manuel Neuer the room to grow into superstars.
The German national team were underperforming and needed to look to a new generation, but they did it when the time was right and the players could perform on the biggest stage. There have been suggestions that the current Germany squad are lacking a true leader and a force to take them on to international glory, but no one can dispute the endless stream of talent that is available to Joachim Low and the Bundesliga coaches.
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England’s young players are forced down the avenue of sink or swim, before even being properly taught how to hold their own. Zaha was criticised for his comments about only being bettered by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and even if a sense of context is needed for his comments, it shouldn’t excuse the hype that he is now feeding off.
England are not in a position where they can be careless with their next generation. No coach in the world could have got the best out of the ‘Golden Generation,’ and yet the sole idea now seems to be to bring in the next wave but continue to raise questions when members of the old guard are missing. Let the youngsters properly develop, don’t give them an unrealistic timetable where the suggestion is reaching the semifinal in Brazil; it’s nonsensical and might only serve to write-off the next wave.
England may not always take kindly to the football on display in Spain, and they’re not totally convinced of the strength of German football. But at least look to follow their example of how to properly produce and educate young players. The fear is that England will remain a nation devoid of patience and constantly looking for the quick-fix.
Sunderland host Fulham today with both sides searching for wins, but for very different reasons. Martin O’Neil’s Black Cats are looking over their shoulders as they hover just five points above the drop zone and will be eager for new arrival Danny Graham to help them put that right sooner rather than later.
Martin Jol’s Fulham have the opportunity to increase the gap between themselves and the bottom three to 11 points, which should all but confirm their top-flight status for another season. The Cottagers are yet to lose a game in which striker Dimitar Berbatov has scored so all eyes will be on the Bulgarian at the Stadium of Light this afternoon.
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French midfielder Florence Malouda has been left out of Chelsea’s Champions League squad for the forthcoming group stages, according to The Guardian.
The 32-year-old has fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge following the arrival of Juan Mata to West London and has failed to make the squad list in any of Chelsea’s first three Premier League games so far this season.
Malouda was reportedly on the verge of joining Brazilian outfit Santos. However, the deal fell through after the wingers wage demands were thought to be too high.
Malouda is one of the number of ageing Chelsea players who appear to have no future left at the club. Goalkeeper Hilario has also been omitted from the squad list, while Michael Essien has been loaned out to Spanish giants Real Madrid and Raul Meireles joined Fernebache for £8 million yesterday.
Chelsea begin the defence of their European title at home to Italian champions Juventus on 19th September.
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