Everton are remaining optimistic of their chances of keeping hold of John Heitinga despite continual interest from Fenerbahce, according to the Liverpool Echo.
The Istanbul club are currently in talks with the Toffees over a potential move for Nigerian centre-back Joseph Yobo and it is believed they want the Netherlands international to follow his team-mate to Turkey.
Yobo has spent the last two years on loan at Fenerbahce who hope that the lure of Champions League football will be enough to tempt Heitinga away from his position at Goodison Park.
The Super Lig runners-up are believed to have made a bid of £5.5m and are willing to off the Dutchman higher wages, but David Moyes does not want to sell the defender.
The Scot is intent on solely improving his squad and is hopeful of re-signing Steven Pienaar to the Merseyside club after a failed spell at Tottenham Hotspur.
Following the agreement to let 32-year-old club icon, Tim Cahill, join New York Red Bulls on Monday, Moyes will not allow any other departures – Yobo aside.
Though it has caused tensions between the two clubs, Fenerbahce are likely to push through the transfer of the Nigerian.
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Heitinga’s contract runs until 2014 and despite interest from Italy and Russia he has declared he is not looking to leave Everton before the new season.
Raheem Sterling’s meteoric rise to stardom continues, as Stuart Pearce admits he is considering placing the talented 17-year-old in the England Under-21 squad for the upcoming European Championship Qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Norway. The Daily Mail reports.
Sterling’s great progress into the Liverpool first-team has attracted the admiring glances of Pearce, after the youngster’s man-of-the-match performance in the Europa League against Hearts and the equally impressive display against Champions, Manchester City.
Sterling was originally picked to play for the Under-19s to face Germany in Hamburg, but is now likely to be fast-tracked into the Under-21s.
It is promising news for Liverpool and Manager Brendan Rodgers, who has been delighted with the progress of Sterling.
“I have seen a lot of development in him in a short time. He takes on a lot of the concepts and he is very good with instructions. Normally wingers want to do their own thing but, tactically, Raheem is improving every day”, he said.
Sterling is also eligible to represent Jamaica as he was born in Kingston, something which his mother desires, but this latest development could see Sterling commit his future to England.
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Newcastle United midfielder Cheick Tiote is the man Arsene Wenger wants to replace the departed Alex Song to bolster the Gunners midfield, according to the Daily Mirror.
The central midfield positions are worryingly vacant for Arsenal as they go into today’s tough clash away at Stoke City and Wenger has decided that Tiote is the man to fill the void.
It was reported that both Manchester City and Chelsea were told they would have to pay in excess of £20million to capture the Ivory Coast international in this transfer window but Wenger is adamant he can force the price down.
The 26 year old would also see an improvement in his weekly wages if he moved down to north London and Tiote is apparently very aware of the Gunners interest with under a week to go until the summer transfer window slams shut.
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You could be mistaken for thinking there was only one significant piece of transfer activity that happened at Old Trafford this summer. The signing of Robin Van Persie from Arsenal stole all the limelight and even poor Shinji Kagawa had little time to bask in the spotlight as United’s most high profile arrival this summer. It may have skipped your attention then that Sir Alex Ferguson brought in another new striker during the transfer window, 18-year-old Angelo Henriquez.
Henriquez’s arrival was a quiet affair, swamped by the never-ending optimism created by the Van Persie deal. In fact, he wasn’t even the most exciting youngster to sign for United this summer as Crewe’s Nick Powell took that title after joining for £5 million. However, all the signs point to Henriquez proving to be a quality addition as well, indeed United had to fend off interest from rivals City to secure his signature in the first place and they completed a £3.5 million move to bring him over from Universidad de Chile.
In Henriquez’s case, it’s a good example of how a scouting network abroad works wonders for a club. Aged just 15, the striker came over with fellow Chilean Pedro Salgado for a trial and impressed the United staff so much, they set up regular training sessions for the player to monitor his progress, before agreeing a pre-contract arrangement with his club that meant the Red Devils could sign Henriquez at any point before his 20th birthday. With the player showing such promising form in the Chilean division, Sir Alex Ferguson has chosen to activate that arrangement already and Henriquez has now linked up with his new teammates.
The player’s goal scoring record in Chile meant United had to act quickly to ward off interest from a number of other European rivals, including Manchester City. Henriquez broke into the first team at Universidad de Chile at the start of the 2012 season and posted an impressive record, notching 15 goals in 27 games. It’s not like the level of football he played at was of a poor standard either, indeed Universidad are one of the best teams in Chile and are competitive in the Copa Libertadores, the South American equivalent of the Champions League. That was enough to convince Fergie that Henriquez can cut the mustard in Europe already, so instead of leaving him to develop in his native Chile, he’s brought him over to continue his progression at Old Trafford.
Numerous people have questioned whether this is the right decision, indeed perhaps Henriquez would be better off returning to Universidad on loan at least for the time being. 18 is a young age to come and settle into a foreign country while trying to break into the first team of one of the best football teams on the planet. It’s a tough ask for the striker, but he’s shown that he’s more than capable already, especially with his performances in his native league.
Internationally, the striker had caught the eye a number of years ago with his progression through the Chilean age groups. He made his debut for the U23 side this year, scoring twice on debut and also impressed for the U20’s, bagging 14 goals in nine games for the Roja. He starred in the South American U17 Championships, scoring three times in four games despite Chile crashing out in the first round of the competition, but this form thrust him into the European limelight and Four Four Two named him one of the five best players in the U17 category that year.
There’s no doubt he’s a talented player, with excellent movement and a good finishing ability. Henriquez is also extremely versatile, equally comfortable with coming deep to pick up the ball or drifting wide and running at defenders. This means he has the all-round game to succeed in the Premier League and his knack of finding the back of the net will undoubtedly ensure comparisons to Javier Hernandez who took to the Premier League like a duck to water after his move over the Atlantic.
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With the riches United now have in the striking department, it may be a while before we see Henriquez in action for the club and perhaps Sir Alex will realise he needs to ply his trade on loan back in South America before he can star for United. However, he’s certainly one to keep an eye on and who knows, perhaps in the future maybe people will remember this transfer window as the one where Manchester United signed Angelo Henriquez and not Robin Van Persie.
Arsenal legend Ian Wright says that Theo Walcott deserves the chance to play a central striker role, according to ESPN.
Walcott is current in the midst of an ongoing contract dispute with the club and has stated in recent weeks that he wants to follow in the footsteps of Arsenal’s all-time greatest goal scorer, Thierry Henry by playing up front in a striker’s role after being utilised on the flanks by Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.
Wright, who himself scored 185 goals in 288 appearances for the north London outfit, believes that Walcott should be given the opportunity to prove his worth up front, “I love Theo and have been saying for a long time that he should be playing as a striker. Clearly he is not the finished article and could do with some more work from the Arsenal coaches, but Theo has all the ingredients to be a top striker.”
Wright says he cannot understand why Wenger won’t allow the 23-year-old to play up top, “Wenger has been saying for a long time that he sees Theo developing into a striker, so give the guy a chance and prove he can do it. If it doesn’t work, then fair enough, but give it a go it has to be worth a try.”
Wright believes that the jeers Walcott has been receiving from certain sections of the Gunners faithful is unfair, and hopes the negative press aimed towards the winger begins to dissipate, “My hope is the fans get Theo contract situation sorted and then he can get on with showing what he can do on the field. There are so many good things about this guy, but people always tend to focus on the negatives.”
Walcott has always had the weight of expectation on his shoulders, ever since being picked in Sven-Goran Eriksson’s England squad for the 2006 World Cup. As a consequence, Wright believes that Walcott has always struggled to live up to the reputation he was given at the age of 16, “The trouble for me is that people believe he should be doing more than he does every week and the expectation around him isn’t his all his own fault. There he was at 16, never played for Arsenal in the Premier League, and he was thrown into the England World Cup squad in 2006. It was stupid. Ever since, people want him to win games on his own every week and nothing he does is good enough.”
The former Southampton man has fallen out of favour at the Emirates ever since the contractual situation has arisen. Despite scoring a brace against Coventry City on Wednesday night, Walcott is expected to start on the bench when the Gunners entertain Chelsea tomorrow.
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Manchester City have been linked with a January move for Getafe midfielder, Abdelaziz Barrada, talkSPORT reports.
Barrada’s agent, Jesus Mesa, confirmed that City are following the progress of the Moroccan international, who has scored three goals in five La Liga matches this season – including the winner against Real Madrid.
“It’s true that Manchester City are following Abdel. They have a scout watching all of his games in the league. It’s still too early to take a decision on his exit. We have to wait until the season finishes,” he said.
The 23-year-old began his career playing youth football in France for US Senart-Moissy and then moved to Paris St Germain.
He had yet to make his professional debut for PSG when Getafe signed him last year, before rapidly progressing through the club’s reserves side and into the first-team.
Barrada announced himself in Spanish football last season with a spectacular free-kick in the 3-2 victory over local rivals, Atletico Madrid.
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Getafe President, Angel Torres, conceded back in April that it would be hard to hold onto their star player and a good offer from City is unlikely to be turned down.
“At the end of the season we’ll probably have to sell him to a big club in the Premier League or Spain.”
Manchester United defender Rafael believes he is maturing as a footballer and has announced his intentions to be included in the Brazil squad for the 2014 World Cup.
Since joining in 2008, Rafael has become well known at Old Trafford for being an attacking-minded full-back with a tendency to dive in and make reckless tackles, however the 22-year-old believes he is ironing-out the imperfections in his game.
With Phil Jones and Chris Smalling sidelined so far this season, Rafael has been a regular for United at right-back. The Brazilian has been impressive and netted twice in the Premier League.
“The way I play for United has changed a little bit and I have scored some goals as well” said Rafael.
“But mature is the word. I always want the ball. Now I read the game more and know what the opposing player is going to do.”
He has now set his sights on the next World Cup: “It is a big time for me. The World Cup is the big competition for Brazil and all the fans expect us to win. I am really looking forward to being there.”
His boss, Sir Alex Ferguson agrees that Rafael is improving and eradicating parts of his game that made him a liability at times in previous seasons.
“He is maturing and learning all the time” said the Scottish boss.
“Rafael has all the ingredients of a great player. He is blessed with great enthusiasm, skill and speed.
“He was quite impulsive and tended to over-commit himself.
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“We have gone over it a few times but, bit by bit, it is all coming together and he was easily our best player Saturday” added Ferguson.
There was a time in football when playing for England was a tremendous honour and one that was greatly appreciated by those given the call. International recognition is no longer the highest accolade for the footballers in this country, with many happy to turn the back on their nation. Where did it all go wrong and how has this problem manifested itself?
Player power is rife in most levels of the game, however I fear International level sees it at its very worst. You obviously have your rare breeds like the Beckhams and Gerrards of this world who would do anything for their country, but ultimately the England scene doesn’t appear as attractive as once was. Does the modern player think so highly of himself that he calls time on International football simply because the manager chooses someone else above them in the pecking order, as we have witnessed in recent years? It is just ridiculous and shows how much standards and respect of their profession has died.
Maybe I am wrong in this instance and should look at it with the outlook as to how the England manager may have contributed to the cheapening of this honour. It raises an interesting point as to how players could look upon representing his country with great pride, especially when the likes of Fabio Capello and Roy Hodgson used to give out first caps like confetti, based on simply a handful of good performances. With the greatest respect to the likes of Jake Livermore and Raheem Sterling – are they really worthy of an England call up just yet, especially when the former is not even a regular in the starting line-up at club level. Carl Jenkinson has put a handful of solid performances and I’m sure had he been given international clearance then Hodgson wouldn’t have hesitated in calling him up. It is an absolute joke and a clear sign as to how we struggle as a nation, fielding players that have barely played 25 games at club level. Sir Bobby Robson took 2 years to nurture Paul Gascoigne into the International fold before making him a regular – highlighting how much it has changed.
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It is a sad state of affairs and arguably why the majority of supporters put out a collective groan when International week comes along, but can the honour of representing England ever exist again in this country? Has it been damaged beyond repair? I for one fear the horse has well and truly bolted, although I can’t actually put my finger as to where it all went wrong with the Three Lions. Maybe it needs a manager with a bit of passion and drive to restore some pride – something I fear the England management team has lacked for some time.
As I sat down on a Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago to watch the FA Cup First round draw, I found myself fearing the worst, imagining what pain the grand old competition would inflict on us this season.
In recent years the worlds most famous cup competition has been far from kind on Plymouth Argyle. The last game we won in the FA Cup was at home to Hull City in the 3rd round in 2008, five seasons ago. We were still a Championship club back then, so progression to the fourth round wasn’t as special as it would be now. Since that cold January afternoon we have played five matches and lost every single one of them in the competition. The magic of the FA Cup you say? Pah! Pain more like!
A lot has changed since those Championship days, something that is emphasised in the opposition that have knocked us out in the proceeding years. Defeats at Portsmouth, Arsenal and Newcastle were to be expected but at least we got the glamour of visiting their grounds whereas a 4-0 home defeat to Swindon in 2010 is what you would imagine would be as far from glamorous as possible, yet in our case it gets worse.
Least season a 3-3 draw at Home Park with Southern League club Stourbridge, where it took a last gasp equaliser to save us from defeat was embarrassing enough, but most Argyle fans fore-casted the inevitable defeat at the hands of the non-leaguers in the replay. As if to stick the dagger in just a little deeper, ESPN, sniffing a ‘cupset’ (cup-upset), broadcast the match on live TV. I watched with shame and horror as a depleted Argyle side were outplayed all across the park by men who had worked their part-time jobs just hours earlier. I turned the TV off after the second goal went in, not being able to put myself through anymore of that torture.
So, to this season, it couldn’t get any worse, right? ” Number 36 – Dorchester Town will play at home against…number 31 – Plymouth Argyle”. At first I was excited, it seemed like the ideal draw. A (relatively) local away game at a non-league side with a ground which is a pretty decent size for that level of football. I went back to my daily routine, still very aware of what happened to us against a non-league side last season, but quite content.
However, as the days have passed I have started to fear the tie more and more.
Immediate research into the recent fortunes of Dorchester Town showed that they were in fourth place in the Blue Square South, a play-off position. I delved a little deeper and upon finding out that the Magpies have not failed to win a game at home so far this season my heart sunk a little. Later in the week it was announced our game was again to be aired on ESPN. The £68,000 we will receive in TV rights because of this will be gratefully received, used to speed up the repayments of our staff that went so many months without a wage.
Financially the benefits of this tie are great for us, but I just can’t stop thinking that history is about to repeat itself. Away to a non-league side, aired on TV and now virtually an evening kick-off – just like the Stourbridge game. Fans of clubs that have been knocked out by lower league opposition will know exactly how I feel, there isn’t many things more embarrassing in football than your club being knocked out a cup competition by a team of part-timers.
It appears that the FA Cup still wants to squeeze more ‘magic’ out of Plymouth Argyle, I just hope and pray that we can steal that giant-killing magic and save it for a plum third round tie against Premier League opposition. I can dream!
For more Argyle talk follow me on Twitter.
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Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner has opened the door for a sensational move to North London rivals Tottenham, according to reports from The Metro.
The Danish international is currently on-loan with Juventus, having fallen down the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium.
However, he is struggling to force his way into Antonio Conte’s plans in Turin, which may see his spell with the Serie A champions end later this season.
Spurs are currently low on striking options, with Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor the only senior front-men in the squad, and Bendtner has refused the rule out a switch to White Hart Lane.
“History is filled with examples of players moving between rival clubs and I can’t rule out clubs due to where I might have been in the past.” He said.
“It might not be the best idea but if the project matches my ambitions I would have to be interested.
“I still have a great relationship with London, which is a city that I adore.
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“I have a lot of friends in London and there are a lot of great clubs in London, so I wouldn’t rule out a return.”
Bendtner has failed to score in seven appearances for Juve, which has deterred the club from pursuing a permanent deal.