Everton are preparing to enter a three-way scrap with Sevilla and Valencia for Paris Saint-Germain striker Kevin Gameiro, according to reports from talkSPORT.
The 25-year-old, a former target of Liverpool, is believed to be surplus to requirements in the French capital, and may be allowed to make a cut-price exit this summer.
With the arrivals of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ezequiel Lavezzi last year, Gameiro has struggled for game time, and could be pushed even further don the pecking order if more big names stars are brought in during the next transfer window.
Despite only making a handful of starts this term, the ex-Lorient hit-man has registered seven goals in all competitions, displaying his lethal edge.
This form has tempted a number of clubs from across Europe, with Everton, Sevilla and Valencia believed to leading the chase.
Toffees boss David Moyes is said to be keen to add some more attacking flair to his squad, and sees Gameiro as the ideal man to challenge the likes of Nikica Jelavic, whilst offering another dimension to the squad.
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Liverpool failed with an approach for the forward during January, and it’s unclear as to whether they will revive their interest, particularly with reports that Andy Carroll could return to Anfield.
Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert recently argued that the club’s star young striker Christian Benteke was worth upwards of £25m should another club come calling for him in the summer, but these kinds of absurdly inflated prices serve no purpose than other to frustrate fans and make them sigh at their manager’s myopic nature and it’s an irritating diversion tactic that has to stop, for the sake of all our sanity.
The Midlands outfit has finally climbed out of the bottom three in the Premier League, where they sit nervously in 17th, three points above Wigan having played two games more. Their top flight fate still hangs in the balance, but that hasn’t stopped Lambert making preposterous claims about the value of Belgium international Benteke in an attempt to warn off any potential suitors.
Lambert told reporters on Thursday in the build-up to the club’s crucial clash against Fulham at home: “He is hot property. If you wanted to prise Christian away from here you would want a sizeable cheque, that is for sure. He has the potential to be fantastic. If you look at modern day figures then £25m is probably a good start.”
A good start? Who is he trying to kid? A 21-year-old striker with one season of top level experience in one of Europe’s five biggest leagues is suddenly worth £25m? It’s a bizarre strain of bravado, but I’m not even entirely sure who it’s aimed at; is it for the Villa fans? The ‘well the manager’s got our back over this matter’ viewpoint? Because any club currently operating at the top level will be acutely aware of the club’s finances and what sort of offer they’ll be tempted to accept. Undisclosed transfer fees are fed to the public, but when it comes to budgets, there are no secrets in the modern game.
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That is not to say that Benteke isn’t worth a significant hike on the £7m they paid to Genk in the summer for his services. After 15 league goals in 30 games in his first season in England, with the potential he’s shown at international level with four goals in 2013 for Belgium, he’s certainly a talented player capable of stepping up a level or two. Nevertheless, with Villa in such a perilous position, Lambert’s stance is fooling nobody. It’s just amateurish mind-games gone horribly wrong and there’s a question mark over whether he’s even the best young Belgian forward in the Premier League, with on-loan Chelsea man Romelu Lukaku looking the more complete player at West Brom this season.
Next up on the inflation wall of shame is quite possibly the most misplaced example of nepotism committed to the public sphere since Francis Ford Coppola cast his daughter Sofia in The Godfather Part 3, with Blackpool manager Paul Ince going off at the deep end about what his son Tom is worth.
“If you’re talking £15m for Zaha, Thomas has got to be £25m. If you compare the two, Thomas should cost more. Zaha is a fantastic player, don’t get me wrong. Zaha’s a stronger runner and does a lot of tricks, whereas Thomas is more direct, he makes things happen and he scores goals. You’ve got a kid playing in the Championship who has scored 18 goals. When you look at the leading scorers, they’re all strikers, and he’s there amongst them.
“Potentially, I think he can reach that value. If Palace want £15m for Zaha who has scored six goals, it makes you wonder what price he’s going to be. You’re not going to get it because he’s not proven in the Premier League, but if United are paying £15m for Zaha, on the stats you’d have to say Thomas is worth a lot more than that. That’s my opinion.”
That my be his opinion, but Ince has shown himself to be little more than a cliche-happy ‘football man’ during his time in management, which translates to roughly ‘has no real knowledge of how the world actually works’. Given that his son’s contract expires at the end of the season and Blackpool are unlikely to figure in the play-off mix, as they sit just four points above the drop zone in an extraordinarily congested table, once again he is in no real position to set the agenda or any sort of terms, let alone ones as bonkers as that.
The 21-year-old has done extremely well in the Championship this season, hitting 18 goals in 39 appearances in the league, but he lacks top level experience and it’s very telling that Liverpool weren’t willing to go above the £6m mark for him in January, despite retaining a 30% sell-on clause which would essentially see them pay around £4m, given the state of his current contract.
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What is clear, though, is that a player’s valuation isn’t judged by similar players around them playing for different clubs – so what if Ince has scored more goals than Zaha? They’re different players with different strengths. Boiling it down to a simple statistical debate, bereft of any sort of context, is not only misleading, it’s downright moronic. Zaha cost Manchester United £15m because he had a long-term deal still in place at Crystal Palace and they could still feasibly be promoted to the top flight next season, and ignoring those sorts of determining factors is just a brain-dead comment of the highest proportions. The silly season is well and truly upon us.
Managers will obviously always seek to use the media to ramp up a player’s price, particularly when the team they are in control of is struggling while the footballer in question is performing well. It’s a natural technique that’s been used for years, but the sheer cheek of both Lambert and Ince is just baffling. They’ve gone too far the other way and in trying to promote a position of strength, they’ve only succeeded in showing how weak their hand really is.
West Ham’s hopes of concluding a summer deal for Alvaro Negredo have received a blow, with news that Atletico Madrid are considering a move for his signature, according to reports from talkSPORT.
The Hammers have been linked with the Spanish international for some time, and with manager Sam Allardyce said to have a sizable transfer budget at his disposal, it has been speculated that they could make a move for the Sevilla star.
However, their hopes of pulling off a deal have suffered a set-back, with Atletico preparing their own offer.
The Vicente Calderon-based side have identified the 27-year-old as a direct replacement for the departed Radamel Falcao.
The prolific Colombian recently completed a £53million switch to Monaco, which has left Atletico rather short of striking options.
With the cash burning a hole in their pocket, they are keen to take advantage of Sevilla’s mid-table finish and lure Negredo to the capital.
With Atletico having secured Champions League football for next season, it’s likely that the transfer would appeal to the powerful front-man, which could scupper West Ham’s hopes of completing a deal.
Meanwhile, negotiations between Andy Carroll and the Londoners are still underway, with a reported fee of £15.5m having been agreed with Liverpool.
West Ham fans, would Alvaro Negredo be a better option than Andy Carroll?
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We have all heard of Fergie Time, where referees seem to add more minutes than perhaps is necessary waiting for the ‘Red Devils’ to nick that much needed equaliser, or indeed winner.
However, now revelations that referee Mark Halsey used to be on texting terms with Sir Alex, seem to only further emphasise this speculation.
Opposition fans have always felt that referees didn’t do them any favours at Old Trafford, so you can understand the controversy surrounding the revelations that Sir Alex Ferguson used to be so close to Halsey.
The details are revealed in Halsey’s new book in which the ref admits texting Fergie, including to get his support for Mark Clattenburg during the John Obi Mikel racism row.
Halsey wrote: “I took matters in my own hands and rang Sir Alex asking him to speak out.
“He agreed and used his Friday press conference to say he could not conceive of Mark [Clattenburg] saying such things. It helped the situation a great deal.”
Despite this, it has been emphasised that when on the pitch, no favours were given to the mighty Scot.
“I may have spoken to him a lot and shared texts but he knew when I crossed that white line there were no favours,” he added.
“Players and managers would not respect you if you gave decisions based on friendship.”
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This can be seen to be apparent when analysing Halsey’s reaction to a late United goal in a Premier League contest against Wolves. The look of disgust on his face in the video below speaks for itself.
Phil Neville is relishing the prospect of facing Everton as coach of Manchester United for the first time, reports the Guardian.
Neville spent eight years with the Toffees, and tonight comes up against them for the first time since leaving Goodison Park as a player in the summer.
Now back at Old Trafford in a coaching capacity alongside his former Everton boss David Moyes, Neville has only fond memories of his time at the club, and claims his spell there made him a better player and a better person.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Neville was able to recall the moment Sir Alex Ferguson invited him to his house to inform him he would be sold.
“Inside – and this is the weird thing – it was probably one of the most magical moments of my career,” Neville says.
“We were in his front room, having a cup of tea and he was plotting my next career move, where I was going, how I would play, everything.
“I went outside and my wife was in tears. But it wasn’t done in a cold office. It was done with warmth, like going round to your Mum and Dad’s for some advice. But don’t get me wrong, I went home and cried my eyes out for 24 hours.”
Despite the tears however, Neville has only positive memories of his time at Goodison Park.
“I didn’t win a trophy with Everton but that time is just as special as my playing career at United,” he added.
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“People leave United and tend to drift out of the game. I actually think I became a better player and a better person. I proved a lot of doubters wrong. I was there on my own. It was a culture shock, being out of the bubble of Manchester United, but I thrived. It was the making of me.”
Manchester United are set to rekindle their interest in Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira once the transfer window re-opens, according to reports from The Mirror.
David Moyes made a late move for the German international over the summer, but was unable to tie up a deal.
But, the Scot remains interested in the 26-year-old, who is thought to be unsettled at the Bernabeu.
The Premier League champions had scouts in attendance for Real’s recent 7-3 win over Sevilla to assess Khedira.
Rumours suggest that the reports received were unanimously positive, which has convinced Moyes to press ahead with a £35m move.
The former Everton man has only been able to sign Marouane Fellaini since taking control at Old Trafford, and is believed to have concerns over his options in central positions.
Khedira is seen as the perfect man to add a combative edge as well as some forward-thinking creativity to the Red Devils’ ranks.
Real are thought to be willing to sell for the right price, with the ex-Stuttgart man no longer an essential first-team player
Chelsea are also keen, with Jose Mourinho – who coached the midfielder while in the Spanish capital – an admirer of his abilities.
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Could Sami Khedira transform Manchester United’s midfield?
Manchester United manager David Moyes fears he could be set for another transfer window of missing out on his top targets, according to the Daily Mail.
United suffered their fifth home defeat of the season at the hands of Swansea yesterday in the FA Cup, and Moyes admitted after the game there is now an ‘urgency’ to recruit new players.
“There is an urgency that we want to sign players but are the ones we want available in January?” Moyes said.
While the United gaffer admitted there were ‘no excuses’ for his team’s poor performance, he stressed the need for top class reinforcements so his side does not need to over rely on Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney, who are both currently injured.
“I have said before that I will try to bring players in this month,” he added.
“But it is doubtful because of the way the window works. There is no point me hyping it up, because the ones we want are probably not going to be available. It is that, rather than us not wanting to do it.
“Certainly we shouldn’t be too reliant on Rooney and Van Persie.
“We put out a really strong team, full of internationals and it should have been enough to get us through. There are no excuses. Everyone is getting an opportunity to show what they can do, so I will make decisions from the evidence of that.
“It has been a tough start to the season, a really tough opening period. There is no getting away from that. I am disappointed we haven’t won more and played better but I am sure that will change. What we need is to win.
“We need to find a solution to winning games, no matter how. It doesn’t matter what style.”
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We at Football FanCast thrive on fan opinions every single day of the year. We always want to know what supporters are thinking and how they feel about what matters most to them in football.
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In our case, we only ever want to talk about football. Nothing else interests us and nothing else ever will. So sifting through Twitter and Facebook for a mass collection of specific fan opinions on the walloping Chelsea gave Arsenal on Arsene Wenger’s 1,000th game in charge was a bit of a longwinded and frustrating process. Lots of different hashtags means there are great opinions that are missed all the time.
But with SportsYapper you can find everything in one place. Nothing is lost. If you want to see what Manchester United fans are thinking about David Moyes following their latest defeat, all you have to do is go over to the Manchester United group. There you can find all you need to know. It’s that simple and it’s that affective.
The same goes for any team in any division in any country. It’s football chat at your very fingertips without anything in your way to distract your from what really matters.
SportsYapper also gives your more of a chance to express your opinions. Unlike Twitter, where you are restricted to just 140 characters, SportsYapper allows you 300 in order make getting your point across so much easier.
You can also check in to games while their happening and have real-time banter with other fans who are watching the game. Want to know what Newcastle fans are saying about Alan Pardew’s headbutt? Just check in to that game and see for yourself. No more sifting through irrelevant and quite frankly boring tweets or statuses.
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Southampton fans have been put through the ringer this summer, having already seen three of their top players head for the exit. By and large, the Saints’ fans have taken the exodus with good grace, but it seems the latest man to express a desire to leave has really irked the patient fans.
Liverpool have nabbed both Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana, and look set to do battle with Southampton over the signing of Dejan Lovren. The Croatian has recently made public his desire to leave the Saints, stating a lack of ambition and direction as his reasons for wanting out.
It’s fair to say the Southampton support haven’t taken his announcement with good grace, accusing Lovren of ‘disrespect’.
Southampton legend, Matt Le Tissier is less than impressed by Lovren’s actions, and has the backing of a number of Saints fans.
As is tradition, many fans took to Twitter to vent their discontent, and here is a snapshot of the reaction.
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Last season’s agony was one filled with positivity for Liverpool, who really announced their arrival back at the top of the English game after a period in the wilderness.
The Reds now have Champions League football to look forward to for the first time since 2009, and the added revenue/status has allowed them to get in some top players to fill problem roles and replace departed stars.
So on the whole, how did Brendan Rodgers and his transfer committee handle the big tasks facing them? We at FFC Towers have been looking at their deals to see…
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Solving defensive issues
Liverpool’s defensive woes cost them the title last term. Had they had Manchester City’s backline, chances are the Reds would have ended the 24-year wait for the big prize. But with 50 goals conceded, Brendan Rodgers’ men trailed their Sky Blue adversaries by just two points.
Since then the club have invested heavily in the backline, with Dejan Lovren the major buy. The Croatian has been tasked with commanding their rearguard and, bar a few wobbly moments, he’s done a good job. Alberto Moreno also looks to be a good purchase, while Javier Manquillo could replace Glen Johnson on a long-term basis. Rating: 6/10
Replacing Luis Suarez
Last year’s star man and pantomime villain Luis Suarez is no longer a Red, and although it looked unlikely that a high-profile striker would be brought in to replace him, Mario Balotelli was eventually snapped up.
The enigmatic Italian certainly provides the ‘x-factor’ missing without El Pistolero, but he looks unlikely to match the scoring tally the Uruguayan reached without taking penalties, which has been a big part of Super Mario’s impressive stats. Rickie Lambert is also in, but some of the pressure may be put on young Raheem Sterling, who already has two goals in three Premier League games.
Rating: 5/10
Providing Mignolet with competition
Simon Mignolet’s tendency to flap at crosses has become a worrying trend, which made getting a more able backup than Brad Jones in a conundrum for Rodgers.
Even though Sergio Romero was targeted, no alternative stopper was signed, leaving the Belgian firmly embedded as No, 1 with little competition for his role. Free agent Victor Valdes is being talked about, and should he agree a deal he could be available for the winter period, but his knee injury is a worry.
Rating: 0/10
Building for another title push
After the agony of last season, another big push for the top prize is what the fans want, but have Liverpool built for it. With more squad depth the potential is in place, but the sale of Suarez is a massive blow.
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Rodgers has started the season well with six points from three games (they lost to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium), which has created a buzz around Anfield. But the toil of the winter period will reveal much about this Liverpool side.
Rating: 6/10
Coping with Champions League commitments
Football – Chelsea v Atletico Madrid – UEFA Champions League Semi Final Second Leg – Stamford Bridge, London, England – 30/4/14General view of the Champions League trophy before the matchMandatory Credit: Action Images / Carl RecineLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
With nine signings and very few high profile exits, Liverpool’s squad is considerably deeper and better rounded than it was a few months ago.
With Adam Lallana yet to make his debut and Rodgers having already had three good substitute benches to look to in his opening games, all looks pretty rosy for him in terms of rotation. When the Champions League kicks in the depth offered by the likes of Lazar Markovic and Emre Can will become a big factor, and it looks as if a slightly weakened team may be an option for at least two European group games against Ludogorets.