Luis Fabiano has said that he wants a move to Manchester United or AC Milan. The Sevilla striker who is currently at the World Cup with Brazil feels the time is right to move on and join a big club.
The 29-year-old has been one of Europe’s most sought after strikers for some time now and would be a good signing for most clubs, but the question is would he be the right fit for Man United and is he even needed?
Currently United currently posses an abundance of attacking talent in Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen, Mame Biram Diouf, Federico Macheda, Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez. Rooney’s future is safe at the club without question; Berbatov has been linked with moves away after two un-prolific seasons at Old Trafford. Owen is very injury-prone and the rest are young and un-tested so a number of them could be sent out on loan. Therefore there would be space for Fabiano in the team but you feel that probably either Michael Owen or Berbatov might have to leave the club on a permanent basis.
As to what he can bring to United’s forward line Fabiano is a good finisher and if it wasn’t for a debateable handball has scored arguably the best goal at the World Cup so far; he is a strong forward as well capable of leading the line and is also very good with his head. Despite these attributes opinion seems to be divided amongst United fans as to whether they want him at the club, some want Berbatov to leave and for him to come in as his replacement. They believe that Fabiano can work upfront with Rooney similar to how Louis Saha formed a good partnership with him. However others are not to keen because he is set to turn 30 this year and they are wary of his temperament and sometimes lazy attitude.
Judging by the forums some fans would seem to prefer Luis Suarez arriving at the club after an impressive World Cup for Uruguay so far; however his price-tag will surely be very inflated and as Fabiano only has one-year remaining on his contract with Sevilla he could prove to be the cheaper option.
At times Fabiano has flattered to deceive, especially early on in his career, however his overall goal-scoring record for Brazil is very good with 27 goals in 40 games and for Sevilla he has done well scoring 94 goals in 190 games in the past few seasons.
Despite some uncertainties over Fabiano he has proved himself capable of scoring goals and as long as he curbs his temperament he could be a very good player for Manchester United. They will be reluctant to overpay for his services though and if they can land him for around £15m then they can see it as a good a bit of business. Luis Fabiano is definitely a player who can make the difference and a partnership with Wayne Rooney could be lethal.
Do you think Luis Fabiano would be a good signing?
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Click on image below to see the BRAZILIAN babes at the World Cup
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Yossi Benayoun has stated, in no uncertain terms, that Rafa Benitez was the single reason he left Liverpool. The Israeli midfielder has signed a four and a half year deal with Chelsea and this weekend accused Benitez of trying to ‘break’ him as a player.
“Everyone asks me why I left Liverpool,” said Benayoun. “There is only one reason – Rafa Benitez. If I played well, I never felt he gave me credit. When I scored, I still expected to be out of the team the next game. On two occasions early last season, against Fulham and Lyon, the fans booed when I was subbed. They thought I was playing well but Benitez told me he was surprised the fans booed because I was not good enough.”
Benitez’s man management came under scrutiny during his time in England with many commenting that his calculated and mechanical style stifled players who were more receptive to encouragement and motivation. Benayoun went on to claim that Benitez intentionally tried breaking his confidence as a player and intimated the same thing happened to Spanish winger Albert Riera:
“He tried to destroy my confidence. You can’t treat a player like this and expect him to be happy. I don’t want to speak on behalf of other players at Liverpool, but people know what happened to Albert Riera and Xabi Alonso. It was the same for me. Benitez tried to break me like he broke Riera.”
Whilst there is no smoke without fire and repeated criticisms of Benitez’s man management can lead us to safely assume he doesn’t put an arm around his players when they’re down, we shouldn’t conclude that Benayoun’s words paint the whole picture (or even if his reported words are the truth, depending on your level of cynicism with regards to our country’s press). The only discernable truth about the situation is that this is a prime opportunity to criticise Benitez; he’s left England and Benayoun has secured a move to the current champions, Chelsea. But my question is why didn’t Benayoun seek a move earlier? And is a four year deal at Chelsea really the choice that optimises his playing time?
I do feel Benayoun was not utilised as often as he could have been in his last two seasons at Liverpool but I cannot completely subscribe to the idea that a manager – any manager – would intentionally seek to break a player’s confidence and thus damage their future as a top flight professional. Many of Liverpool’s players commented that Benitez had a style of management that took some getting used to i.e. he didn’t shower individuals with praise after good performances. This did not stop Alonso, Mascherano, Gerrard, Torres, Reina and Carragher to all excel under his stewardship, though. Benayoun, like Babel and Riera, suffered more because he could not sustain a place in the starting XI and whether that is down to managerial preference or objective output will remain a mystery to most of us.
There’s certainly some truth in his sentiments but his circumstance as a squad player makes it a little easier to blame Benitez outright.
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Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer
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As the head of the team, the coach is accountable. When a team under-performs, as England did in this summer’s World Cup, then questions are asked and fingers are pointed. As soon as England were dumped out against Germany, people were calling for Capello’s head, claiming he was too much of a disciplinarian and that his over-controlling system was paralysing the players with fear of mistakes. While some of this may be true, and certainly the coach or manager of a team must take a huge load of the flack, Capello was not the sole reason for England’s failure in South Africa, and should not be made the scape goat.
The English media will not let Fabio Capello forget what happened this summer – regardless of the fact that constant reminders will hinder the rebuilding process – and it is something that will be raised at every possible opportunity. Within a month in the press, Capello went from England’s saviour to their downfall. England’s array of highly paid superstars severely underperformed and there was a witch-hunt to try and discover the reason. Fatigue was muted as a possible reason but that didn’t explain why other players and nations who had also had long, hard seasons managed to perform better. What was different about England? The apparent answer? Capello’s ruling fist. Previously considered a refreshing change to Steve McClaren calling everyone Wazza, Stevie and JT and pretending to be everyone’s best mate, Capello’s strict policies regarding almost all the player’s behaviour was now suddenly a big problem. Players should be allowed to ‘go and have a beer’, not be cooped up in hotel rooms.
In truth, England’s preparation and build up to the tournament was virtually perfect. There were injuries to the likes of Rio Ferdinand, but in terms of training, conditioning, and their base in South Africa, it was as good as it has ever been. There were also effectively the same players on the pitch that had got the team there in the first place. But as much as a manager picks and shapes his team, and alters players and systems during the course of a match, he cannot account for players simply not performing. Fabio Capello can do nothing about Wayne Rooney not being able to control a pass, or John Terry not knowing where to position himself from a goal-kick, or Rob Green not being able to catch a ball with his hands.
Along with the tournament’s passing, the latest England squad and now Capello’s comments about no longer wanting to pick David Beckham, the media is constantly trying to quench its thirst for the next Capello sound bite that will make him look either disrespectful, naïve or incompetent. Rather than analysing what were dreadful performances by the players, and sympathising with what Capello had to deal with, there has become this obsession with trying to put the man down. Capello is still one of the world’s best managers, that fact has not changed, and so the last thing the media should be trying to do is drive him out. Yes there should be answers from Capello, and yes he underperformed also, but he is only a figurehead of what is a pretty disastrous set-up in terms of player development and club v country politics. There are few managers in the world as good as Capello and so rather than make him the media scapegoat, perhaps we should lower our expectations somewhat and get behind him, rather than set out to destroy him.
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Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini is hopeful that the deal to bring Aston Villa's James Milner to the club will be finalised in the next couple of days.
The 24-year-old England international is expected to head to Eastlands, with Stephen Ireland leaving the Citizens to join Villa as part of a deal worth a reported £24million.
Mancini told reporters:"I hope we can close it either today or tomorrow.
"I think that Milner is a good player, an English player which is important. I think that Milner can play in different positions.
"We have today and tomorrow to close the deal."
Meanwhile, Mancini is confident that recent signing Mario Balotelli will prove to be a success in England following his arrival from Internazionale.
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The 20-year-old forward has gained a reputation for being hard to handle, but Mancini added:"All of us are said to be bad boys when we are young, but I have worked with Mario before and he is a normal person.
"He is young player, only 20 years old, who can do a lot in the Premier League. He has all the qualities needed to become a fantastic player."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Didier Drogba has carried on his scintillating form from last season with outstanding performances in Chelsea’s first two fixtures of this season’s Premier League, scoring a hat-trick against West Brom and setting up three of Chelsea’s goals in Saturday’s 6-0 demolition of Wigan. In his time in the Premier League, Drogba has gained a reputation as one of the world’s most fearsome strikers but where does he rate in the annals of Chelsea legends? In my opinion, Drogba deserves to be considered as one of the finest players to ever play for the club.
He has been an integral cog in Chelsea’s recent success and his goals have helped propel Chelsea into the upper echelons of world football. Since joining Chelsea from Marseille in 2004, Drogba has scored 134 goals for the club in 263 appearances. He has performed consistently for Chelsea in his 6 years at the club, scoring more than 10 goals a season in every single campaign so far but last season proved to be his most successful to date. Drogba was at his imperious best last season, scoring an incredible 37 goals in 44 appearances on his way to the Golden Boot and a league and FA Cup double for the first time in Chelsea’s history.
Drogba has come to be known for his pace and power but his recent performances have put pay to such singular definitions of his qualities. His performance against Wigan on the weekend is testament to that. He showed his trademark drive for Chelsea’s fourth goal where he picked the ball up and strode past the Wigan backline. But he showed an unselfishness not usually associated with his game as he slid in Salomon Kalou to score. It is this ability to continually surprise people and go beyond the typical stereotypes of his game that make Drogba a truly special player.
Drogba’s reputation as a player threatened to be overshadowed by accusations of cheating. The Ivorian made a habit of going down at the slightest hint of any contact and feigning injury on numerous occasions. His off the field antics have also caused much controversy. He brought much negative publicity to the club when a flip-flop wearing Drogba shouted “it’s a f***ing disgrace!” down a TV camera in the aftermath of Chelsea’s controversial Champions League semi-final defeat to Barcelona.
Despite these concerns, Drogba has found a place in the hearts and minds of many Chelsea supporters. He has cut out many of the unsavoury aspects of his game and has indicated a desire to get even better now that he has had surgery to correct an ongoing groin problem:
“I am better at 32 than I was six years ago, when I came here.”
“I am scoring more goals, I am more calm, more relaxed on the pitch and it helps a lot.
“If I keep playing in a team like this I can plan maybe five more years. I was only 25 when I started at the highest level, so I feel young. I still love the pitch, running. I don’t count the runs I make. Maybe in a year or two it will be different.”
We can only really judge Drogba’s Chelsea career once it is all over. But what makes Drogba such an important player for Chelsea is that he comes to represent a particular era in Chelsea Football Club. He represents an unprecedented period of success for the club that would have otherwise been improbable if it wasn’t for Drogba’s goalscoring exploits. It is for this reason that Drogba should take his place among the Chelsea greats for ensuring that success is an expectation rather than a hope for the Stamford Bridge faithful.
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As a child, I can still distinctly remember being told by my dad about a young Northern Ireland midfielder named Paul McVeigh. Apparently, the young prodigy was mustard, and reminiscent of his countryman the late great George Best (sans the whisky). He could beat people for fun, me’old Dad told said, and was going to be a star! Unfortunately, this didn’t quite turn out to be the case…
Ever since, like many Tottenham fans, I am cynical whenever I hear about a youngster Tottenham are about to sign, or is emerging from the youth team, as it’s fair to say, over the years, there have been one too many Paul McVeighs…
So here they are in all their glory, the Tottenham wonder kids that never were, or as I like to call them, latter day John Bostocks…
Steffen Iversen
Iversen served the club well between 1996 and 2003, winning the League Cup with Tottenham in 1999, and was by no means a poor player. However, when Iversen signed for Spurs, it was viewed as a real coup. Iversen had scored 18 goals in 50 appearances for Rosenborg BK, and his contribution to their success led Spurs to spend £2.7m on the striker, with clubs all over Europe looking at the player. Despite a promising first season, where he scored six goals including a hat-trick against Sunderland at Roker Park, Iversen never became the goal scorer fans hoped. Injuries halted his progress, and Iversen failed to live up to the hype.
Jonathan Blondel
Blondel signed for Tottenham in August 2002, with Glenn Hoddle and David Pleat confirming they had convinced the young Belgian to sign for Spurs over Manchester United. Blondel’s signature was thus celebrated in North London as a major coup at the time. In hindsight, Blondel had only played 18 times for his club Royal Excelsior Mouscron, and despite his reputation and fee (Spurs had spent £800k on the youngster), he had only been playing in the Belgium league. Blondel was hyped as a skilful attacking midfielder that would soon be challenging the likes of Freund, Poyet and Anderton for places. In actual fact, Blondel would make just two substitute appearances, before being shipped off to Club Bruges. Spending £800k on a player, playing him twice, then allowing him to leave on a free two seasons later, may not make sense to most, but is classic Tottenham.
Helder Postiga
After José Mourinho took over the reigns as Porto manager, Postiga soon exploded onto the scene in Portugal. He scored 13 goals in their 2002–03 campaign, and before his twenty-first birthday had become a star in Portugal, earning a permanent slot in the Portuguese under-21 side. This prompted Glenn Hoddle to part with £6.25m to bring Helder to White Hart Lane, with much expected from the Portuguese. Hoddle told the official Spurs website:
“He is a player who will add definite striking quality to our squad and is a young player of proven ability… I’m sure our supporters will enjoy watching him over the coming seasons.”
Actually, Postiga would make only 12 full appearances and score just 2 goals with Spurs.
Well done Glenn.
Continued on Page TWO
Simon Davies and Matthew Etherington
Davies and Etherington are perhaps unfairly placed on this list, as it was not their fault that Championship Manager 1999/2000 had rendered the pair famous. On ‘Champ’, the Peterborough duo were awesome, (although Davies was always the better player for me), but hopefully, that’s not why George Graham departed with £700k to bring them to the club in December 1999.
The dreaded words ‘Manchester United’ and ‘trial’ can also be attributed here, as the pair were both given the once over (not like that, grow up) by Alex Ferguson. However, the boys ended up at White Hart Lane, and it was only a matter of time before they brought the title with them…
Unfortunately, Etherington turned out to have an inability to cross the ball, whilst Simon Davies could be blown away with a gust of wind. In the end the only thing that developed whilst the pair were at the Lane, was Etherington’s penchant for a flutter.
In fairness, both presently have careers with Premier League clubs, and Etherington is now cured of his afflictions after attending Tony Adams’ Sporting Chance Clinic. However, they remain yet two more examples of Tottenham wonder kids that never were…
Wayne Routledge
At the time most Spurs fans were probably thinking “Wow, if Simon Jordan is this hacked off about losing Routledge, he must simply be a super football player!” Now plying his trade with Premier League chasing Newcastle United, it is clear that Routledge didn’t quite live up to the hype.
The lad joined the Spurs from Crystal Palace for an ‘undisclosed fee’ in August 2005. However, the fee was supposedly just over £1m, and seeing as though Routledge helped Spurs win the Peace Cup pre-season, where the prize money was around £1m, technically he paid for himself.
Routledge was just 20 when he came to Spurs, and after creating 8 assists for Palace the season before, it was believed he would be just what Tottenham needed on the wing. After impressing in pre-season however, Routledge suffered a bad injury on the opening day of the season. A certain 17 year old Aaron Lennon came in to replace him, and Routledge never won his place back…
After a succession of loans at the likes of Portsmouth and Fulham, Routledge eventually left Spurs for Aston Villa in January 2008. After all the effort Tottenham had gone to, the wonder kid inside never materialized… perhaps Simon Jordan was right after all.
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Bobby Zamora
Zamora joined Glenn Hoddle’s Tottenham revolution in 2003 for a fee of £1.5m. Zamora had an excellent record in the lower leagues, his 70 goals in 119 league games helping Brighton and Hove Albion win back to back promotions to the Championship, or First Division as it was then.
Predictably, the Tottenham faithful didn’t take to the clumsy looking Zamora, and the fact that he had been highly rated before joining only added to the disappointment when he left the club, deemed failure.
This season has seen Zamora score goals in the Premier League, with an England call-up supposedly a possibility also, so Zamora is clearly not a bad player. However, at Tottenham, like so many before him, he failed to produce the goods.
Zamora left the club just 6 months after joining in January 2004, with Jermain Defoe coming the other way in an player-exchange plus cash deal with West Ham. Zamora managed just 16 league appearances, and managed just one goal… sighs.
Well, there you have it, a team of wonder kids who never quite did it for the super Spurs. With the likes of John Bostock doing their best to go the same way, there might well be more inclusions to add in a few years time. However, for now let’s push the doom and gloom out of our minds and believe that somewhere out there, the next Helder Postiga is ready and waiting to heed the Tottenham call…
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Former Liverpool star Kenny Dalglish is hoping the coming week will prove to be the start of a prosperous new future at Anfield.
The under-achieving Premier League side have failed to reach the heights expected of them this term and, with New England Sports Ventures seeking to oust current owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, Dalglish is pinning his hopes on the group to turn their fortunes around.
"These have been depressing times at Anfield," he said.
"It is never nice when your football club are making as many headlines on the front pages as the back.
"This week looks set to be huge for Liverpool but there is still a feeling of uncertainty because nobody can guarantee what is going to happen next.
"I feel particularly for the fans, who must find it difficult to know which way to turn. I am sure the majority of them are quite happy that the club might be sold but what they really want is to see Liverpool move onwards and upwards from here.
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"Let's hope we can and that things work out. Liverpool is usually a glass half-full kind of city, and The Kop are renowned throughout the world for their humour and spirit."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
While Tom Cleverley is making a name for himself on the pitch, off it he isn’t doing too badly either having pulled himself a blonde model that is certainly up there in the current Wag Arena within the Premier League.
The Manchester United starlet is highly thought of at Old Trafford, with many suggesting he destined for the very top in the years to come. There’s nothing to suggest that Miss O’Hara will remain with Cleverley as he steps up week in, week out within the Premier League, however I am sure most United fans will agree that she represents a good place to start.
Click on image below to view our sexiest gallery yet
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Where does Ms O’Hara rank among the Manchester United WAGS – click here to find out
‘While Wayne Rooney is desperate to see new faces, Sir Alex Ferguson has a new golden age knocking on the first team door that could in fact save Manchester United millions in the years to come.’
Do Manchester United fans have faith that the young stars on display against Wolves on Tuesday are good enough to be seen as the new generation. After watching the game on Tuesday, it is obvious Manchester United have some very impressive youngsters but can they break into the first team squad in the future?
The Carling Cup tie against Wolves provided Manchester United fans with another glimpse of what the future holds at Old Trafford. In the main, the youngsters did well against an aggressive and strong Wolves outfit. The first half was a dour affair – Wolves didn’t commit too many men forward whilst United looked off the pace. That isn’t surprising though. What sceptics of this United squad have said is that the team lacked imagination and penetration. There are no reserve fixtures in October for the players. United fielded a squad that hadn’t really played competitive action for a month, so of course it was going to take time for the players to gel and get into the game. Without a doubt the game improved in the second half, and both Manchester United and Wolves were involved in a great second half cup tie.
What are Manchester United’s priories. Do they need to go out and buy top quality players or would the fans prefer to see Raphael, Chris Smalling, Federico Macheda and Gabriel Obertan given their chance in the first team. When Manchester United lost 3-1 to Aston Villa at the start of the 1995/1996 season, not too many people were signing the praises of the youngsters that have gone on to provide the club with so much success. The youngsters need to be given time to gel with one another and fans have to accept with so many youngsters in one team the players are likely to make mistakes. Without a doubt though, they will improve and some could force their way into Manchester United’s first team squad over the next couple of years.
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The question is are some of the players good enough for the Manchester United squad, either now or in the future. For example, Gabriel Obertan hasn’t shown what he can do when given his chance in the team. He was described as the unpolished gem of French football when he arrived – a tag that he hasn’t lived up to. Gabriel Obertan does not have the quality to succeed at Manchester United and should be sold at the earliest opportunity. Federico Macheda is in the same kind of position. Without doubt the Italian has serious potential but he hasn’t ever shown this when given the chance to start a game. Will Macheda ever be able to live up to the goal against Aston Villa? That is what he is always going to be compared against. The problem is when does potential have to turn into something more serious in the youngsters. If the likes of Raphael, Gibson and Macheda were going to make it at Manchester United, wouldn’t they have made the step to commanding a first team place by now. For example, United have issues at right back. It doesn’t seem that Sir Alex Ferguson trusts Raphael to play in this position week in week out.
The youngsters shouldn’t be judged unfairly by the game against Wolves. Ben Amos looked solid in goal, Chris Smalling showed the signs of a very decent defender and Bebe, with a bit of tweaking could be a great addition to the Manchester United squad. The fans shouldn’t be overly worried by what they did or did not see. The game lacked atmosphere, and the players were rusty due the lack of reserve team action in October.
Are United fans torn between wanting to see a new generation of youngsters come through and be as successful as the last, and wanting too see big name signings coming to Old Trafford. In all fairness one will be at the expense of the other. If you look at Manchester United’s bench at the moment, it doesn’t stand up to Arsenal’s, Manchester City’s or Tottenham’s. Manchester United need to sign big players for sure, but somehow need to keep developing the talent in the ranks. United have a great deal of talent away on loan at the moment, something that shouldn’t be forgotten. Sir Alex Ferguson needs to retain a balance between bringing these potential stars through and purchasing talent. This has to be the future of Manchester United. Hopefully the fans will be happy with the results.
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Both teams are doing better than expected so far and, if other results go their way, Bolton could actually move in to a Champions League spot with a win.
It’s a funny old game indeed. Only a point separates the sides but Bolton are certainly on a better run with just one defeat in eight league games.
Newcastle on the other hand have been consistently inconsistent. One thing we can be sure of is seeing plenty of physical forward play. Andy Carroll, 13/2 to score first, will be feeling confident after making his England debut. Johann Elmander, 11/2 to score first, is starting to look as though he hasn’t been a complete waste of money whilst Kevin Davies (13/2) just likes jumping in to people.
Newcastle have some good results on the road so if you don’t fancy going for another draw, they’re a decent price at 13/5.