After years of frugal spending at Arsenal, Arsene Wenger has been gradually loosening the purse-strings in recent years.
That has put the Gunners’ notoriously strict wage structure under threat and it was blown apart by their January spending.
Alexis Sanchez departed the Emirates after a protracted stand-off over his contract after the club refused to meet his elevated wage demands, to be replaced by Henrikh Mkhitaryan as part of a swap deal from Manchester United.
To appease Arsenal fans further, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came in from but that pair of deals to reunite the former Borussia Dortmund pair did not come cheap.
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According to the Times, some of the Arsenal players who earn less and who have been earning less for some time now are becoming disgruntled with the high-earning duo – who the report claims earn £200,000 and £180,000 respectively.
They feel that they are not doing well enough on the pitch to justify their increased salaries and with many contracts due for renewal – Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Nacho Monreal among them – that could become an even bigger problem.
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Arsenal have only won two in eight since the pair – valued at a combined £90m by transfermarkt.co.uk – joined and the initial excitement that greeted their arrival has already subsided.
They are under pressure to perform already from the club’s fans and if that spreads to the dressing room – where admittedly there aren’t many players pulling their weight right now, no matter what they’re earning – then it could deepen their issues.
David Silva believes Manchester City cannot afford to lose to Chelsea, when the two go head-to-head at the Etihad tomorrow afternoon, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Chelsea already sit five points clear of their title rivals, having gained a 100% winning record from their opening four Premier League fixtures.
A win at the Etihad tomorrow would see them move eight points clear of City, and even at this early stage Silva reckons it is a game his side cannot afford to lose.
“It is very important game,” he said. “They are first and have more points – we can’t lose on Sunday and allow the gap to open.
“It’s the early stages, there’s still a long way to go in the Premier League.
“Anything can happen – we need to win as otherwise the gap is starting to get too big.
“But the Premier League, until the last minute, you just don’t stop fighting and there’s still a long way to go.”
Chelsea have been boosted by the summer arrivals of Silva’s fellow countryman Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa, with both having made a huge impact so far.
But Silva insists he is not phased by facing his international teammates.
“It’s Fabregas this weekend but also Santi Cazorla (at Arsenal) and Mata when we play United, so almost every game I’m against one of them”, he said.
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“But we are a strong team, we’ve got a big team and we have to win the game.
“Costa has made a huge impact. I think he has scored seven times so far and is important for Chelsea – not so good for us. They are a good team and we just have to go out and win.
“It’s not easy to adapt, but he (Costa) has done it very quickly. Fabregas knows the Premier League very well from being here before. Some players adapt faster than others but it’s never easy.”
In every season there is a point where clubs have long injury lists and have to rely on players within their squad who can play in more than one position to plug the gap. The question is, does this really work? Or do they suffer from being a jack of all trades and master of none?
At a first glance it appears an ideal solution, with Premier League sides looking to constantly change formations within a game, having players who can play almost anywhere. It should be a trump card.
However, it has to be questioned whether players can fill each role they are required to, to an acceptable standard. There certainly have been players who can play several positions with a large degree of success, such as Phil Neville or John O’Shea, but then you have the issue of players who can play somewhere as a temporary solution, and this is made more permanent.
For example despite having the ability to play at left back I am sure both Fulham and Aston Villa fans would not be rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of seeing either Damien Duff or Charles N’zogbia filling the left back void, should their first choice full back be injured.
A key question to ask is whether the player you want to use as a versatility player could become ineffective to the team if moved out of their normal position, whereas on the other hand, they could be a real asset in their natural position so there would be no point trying to utilise their flexibility. In the case of Theo Walcott it appears he can play as a winger or a striker. Whether he would be happy to play both is another issue, but he has played for several seasons on the wing and seems more than apt to fulfil the striker’s role, as he has proven in recent times, that he possesses a goalscoring pedigree. However, if we were to play Wayne Rooney on the left wing it appears to be a waste of the striker’s talent and skill, despite the player having the range of passing and ability to play anywhere along a front four.
However, going out to sign a player who is known for their versatility is a slightly different matter. When the manager purchases such a type of player there is recognition that there is no certainty over what the player’s best position is. At Everton, David Moyes can use this to his advantage as Marouane Fellaini is capable of playing in central midfield or he can be used as a second striker to cause headaches for opposition defences. The reason why Moyes can switch Fellaini positionally is because he is aware that the player is known for his strength and ability to unsettle opposition players in wherever he plays, so despite him being versatile, his true capabilities are not lost.
On the flip side of the coin you can find footballers who are tagged as versatile claiming to be able to fulfil several squad positions but actually having the ability to fulfil none to a satisfactory level. Newcastle United appear in the last transfer window to have been caught out with a red herring guilty of this tag in Vurnon Anita. The club hoped the player would be able to fill in for either Cabaye or Tiote when injured or unavailable or to cover at full back when the same applied to Davide Santon or Danny Simpson. What has occurred is a player who looks like he can’t fulfil either position accurately, as he does not yet have the confidence in his play to assert himself in the midfield or the range of passing, nor the tackling ability to play at full back. Newcastle thought that they were being shrewd by trying to sign a utility player, but it has so far backfired.
However, in James Perch they appear to have a utility player who can fill in, but despite him being valued, there is an acceptance around St. James’ Park that he is never as good as the person he is filling in for, but he always does an adequate job. Again I would argue that it was a stroke of luck that even “Perchinho” as Newcastle fans affectionately now call him, has managed to get his chance at Newcastle after a couple of very indifferent first few seasons on Tyneside. Most clubs don’t have a this long to wait for a player on their books to suddenly start showing their true potential.
This seems to lead me to believe that versatility is definitely something that is useful if a player has it. Despite this, the player must be talented and suitable for the club outside of this, with his flexible nature being seen as a bonus feature.
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Because if a club seeks out a versatile player they end up paying for someone who has no certain position, and always remains a periphery player within the squad.
Managers in the next transfer window will be tempted to sign players who can supposedly fulfil several positions, but if it appears too good to be true, it usually is, and there should be wariness about looking to sign these stop gap solutions, despite the temptation to do so.
Liverpool must sign a world-class goalkeeper this summer, even if Loris Karius continues his fine form.If there’s one thing that encapsulates modern football, it’s short-termism. That doesn’t just go for fans; it applies to media outlets, pundits, managers and even players.How many times has Paul Pogba been branded world class this season, only to be a “fraud†a week later? It is startling how quickly players are tarnished, revived, finished and revived again in today’s football world. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Liverpool’s goalkeeping situation.The reds have been strongly linked with a move for Roma’s Alisson, and there have even been murmurs of interest in Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak, but a return to form for Loris Karius has left some fans wondering if the German still has a future as Liverpool’s number one.https://video.footballfancast.com/video-2015/klopp-excuses.mp4After a few good performances, Karius is being prophesied as the saviour to Liverpool’s goalkeeping nightmare, just as quickly as he was written off after his poor start at the club.In the case of Karius, he seemed to be the victim of high fan expectations, as after years of Simon Mignolet fans were expecting the German to be perfect, only to lose patience with him almost immediately after a shaky start.This is not just a goalkeeping issue either; plenty of Reds’ fans have voiced their support for Dejan Lovren in recent weeks after some stellar performances, including a brilliant block against Porto when the score was 0-0.This is the same Dejan Lovren that was substituted at Wembley in October after the worst 31 minutes from a top-flight defender in quite some time.
Are we so biased towards the short term now that we base our opinions of players on their last three matches? Karius may well have a fantastic end to the season and could even earn himself a place in Germany’s World Cup squad.
If Liverpool are serious about competing for titles though, they must spend big on a replacement for the outgoing Mignolet this summer, regardless of how well Karius performs. Most big clubs have two top quality goalkeepers and it’s time the Reds followed suit.
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Frank Lampard has been breaking Chelsea fans’ hearts since his return to the Premier League with Manchester City but could the stalwart midfielder be the key to the Citizens’ success?
In a move that has been heavily criticised, Lampard left Chelsea after a 13-year spell to move to the USA and play for newly formed team New York City FC which saw him immediately loaned back to current Premier League champions Man City for half a season. At first it looked like he was only there to make up the squad numbers and keep his fitness up before returning to America to play for his new team, however things are starting to look a bit different now after his first few performances have seen him score some vital goals.
There is no doubting that Lampard is one of the world’s best midfielders – he has had a fantastic career for both club and country which saw him become Chelsea’s all time record scorer – not a bad achievement from the middle of the park. He has consistently contributed to the goal tally every season, whether he was scoring them or supplying them, and he fast became a club legend at the Bridge becoming an integral part of their success under Roman Abravomich.
Few could blame him for his move away from the club at the end of his contract, especially when the player himself said that he wanted to stay but was not offered a new deal. Lamps has still got a few years left in him, so the natural thing to do was to move, even if he didn’t envisage it being a title rival.
Football is big business these days and big name players will certainly go a long way to boost the popularity of “soccer” in America, which certainly goes some way to explaining why Lampard is the latest star to have made the move over there.
Loan moves back to Europe are not uncommon either, we saw David Beckham have spells with AC Milan during the MLS off-season on a couple of occasions to keep his fitness levels up.
What made his move to Man City hit so many headlines though is the fact that first of all it was hard to ever imagine him in any other Premier League shirt other than Chelsea’s, let alone a title rival’s colours. It might not have been so hard to take if it was just the odd substitute appearance as first anticipated, but Lampard has shown his class since his first game for City and scored some important goals already, not least the dramatic late equaliser against Chelsea in the 1-1 draw between the two sides. He is already showing signs of the Super Frank Chelsea fans loved to watch every week, providing chances for his team mates and showing a killer instinct in front of goal.
It is still early days for him in the sky blue of Manchester, but he looks a key part in the trophy chasing squad already and what was set to be a short-term loan deal already looks like it could be made into a more long term deal. Whereas last season Yaya Toure was the key to City’s success, the Ivorian is yet to show his mettle, but Frank has stepped up to the plate so far and been the catalyst in the side that has inspired them to get results in all the games he has featured in.
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With City chasing not only the title but also the Champions League, he could well be the key to their campaign. You have to wonder whether at the end of the season, Mourinho will regret letting Lampard go.
It could be worse Nando, you could be one of these guys…
The appalling images from the Under-21 European Championship qualifier between Serbia and England shocked the world, highlighting the deeply-entrenched racist beliefs from certain sections of the Eastern European country.
All of those who saw the highly distressing scenes will know it was not the actions of a minority, but sections of the whole stadium making ugly monkey chants and rude gestures to England’s black players.
The sheer injustice concerning the fallout from the match was there to see, with Danny Rose being sent off at full time despite being the victim of serious racial abuse and merely showing his frustration at the final whistle.
The brawl was equally unsavoury with players, coaches and officials being caught up in the melee; something which saw both sides charged.
Serbia are now fixating on this brawl and have since outrageously claimed that there was no racist chanting in the stadium, despite ample evidence to the contrary.
Serbian senior team coach and former player, Sinisa Mihajlovic, has recently made the vomit-inducing comments that his country will receive a greater punishment than England as they are a “small fish” in comparison.
Mihajlovic is ignoring the issue of racism, but that is hardly surprising considering he was once found guilty of racially abusing former Arsenal captain Patrick Viera in his playing days.
These comments display the man’s ignorance, with UEFA taking a very lenient stance against Serbia in the past; especially after Nedum Onuoha and Justin Hoyte were the victims of racist abuse when the two sides met in 2007. The result was a paltry £16,000 fine for the Serbian FA.
UEFA have since intimated that another fine would not work after unsurprisingly not having the desired impact last time; and Michel Platini indicated that harsher measures will be used.
It would be nice to have faith in Platini’s statement, although one could be forgiven for being sceptical as UEFA deem branding of an unauthorised sponsor as a more serious offence than racism; demonstrated by Nicklas Bendtner brandishing the Paddy Power logo on his boxers after celebrating a goal at Euro 2012.
The only option for UEFA and to show they are serious about tackling racism in the game is to ban Serbia from all international competitions for the foreseeable future; thereby forcing them to get their act together before gracing the world stage.
Racism is a cancer that is destroying football in the country; and the nation’s morally upstanding football fans will surely be appalled by the scenes in Krusevac.
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It is time for Platini and UEFA’s big wigs to stand up and be counted.
According to CalcioNapoli24, West Ham United are considering a move for Napoli striker Roberto Inglese in this summer’s transfer window.
What’s the story?
New West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini has already been busy in the transfer market this summer, with Ryan Fredericks, Issa Diop and Lukasz Fabianski joining the club.
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There is no question that the Hammers need to improve their options further forward, however, and it is understood that they had a £20m bid for Fulham captain Tom Cairney rejected in the latter stages of last week.
A new centre-forward is also a priority due to the speculation surrounding the future of Javier Hernandez, and according to CalcioNapoli24, Napoli’s Inglese has emerged as an option.
The 6ft 2in attacker spent last season on loan at Chievo Verona, and is yet to represent Napoli despite joining the club in 2017.
Would Inglese be a good signing?
Last season, the 26-year-old managed 12 goals in 34 Serie A appearances for Chievo, whilst he also netted once in two Coppa Italia fixtures.
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Napoli signed him in the summer of 2017, but he remained on loan at Chievo, and it is understood that the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti as head coach of the Naples club could see Inglese leave before actually representing the Italian giants.
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Valued at £9m by transfermarkt.co.uk, it is unlikely that the Hammers would have to break the bank for Inglese, and he showed last season that he is capable of scoring goals in a top European league.
Hernandez may well be leaving the London Stadium this summer, and Andy Carroll’s future is also up in the air. Jordan Hugill, meanwhile, hardly kicked a ball in the second half of last season.
Inglese is a little bit of an unknown quantity, but could turn out to be a smart signing for West Ham at an affordable price.
Lewis Cook has had to wait to make an impression at Bournemouth, but the midfielder has just started to show his incredible potential.
Indeed, the 20-year-old was outstanding in Bournemouth’s 3-0 win over English champions Chelsea in the Premier League on Wednesday night.
It was the midfielder’s 17th league appearance of the 2017-18 campaign, and it does appear that the Englishman has fully overcome the ankle injury that harmed his debut 2016-17 Premier League season.
Now in the team and playing regular football, Cook is demonstrating his immense talent.
There is a general feeling that the England Under-21 international was not fully appreciated during his time at Leeds United. He joined the Whites back in 2004, and made 85 appearances for the club before leaving at the end of the 2015-16 season.
It is thought that Bournemouth paid just £6m to sign Cook on a four-year contract in July 2016, and the Leeds fans are disappointed that they do not currently have a player of his class.
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A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Michael Owen believes that his former team-mate Steven Gerrard has increased his chances of lifting the elusive Premier League trophy with Liverpool by giving up on his England career.
The 34-year-old midfielder yesterday announced his decision to step down as the Three Lions’ skipper and bring his time in the international set-up to an end after claiming 114 caps.
Gerrard has been an ever-present for England since breaking through to the senior team in 2000, and is widely hailed as one of the very best midfield players to have played in the white shirt.
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Although his form and fitness are still evident, the veteran is said to have reached the decision in a bid to prolong his time in Liverpool’s first-team, with the Reds having come very close to a first ever Premier League title last season.
In his glittering career Gerrard has lifted the Champions League, the FA Cup twice and the League Cup on three occasions, but league honours have evaded him.
Owen – who played alongside the Anfield idol while at Liverpool – believes that his old team-mate’s chances of claiming the prize he seeks are not gone, and may have improved due to his England decision:
“I believe Stevie’s decision to stand down from international duty has in no small part been made with a view to prolonging his career at Liverpool.” He is quoted by The Express.
“Despite England’s lack of success during his time with them, I for one hope he can add to his already impressive haul with Liverpool by lifting the one piece of domestic silverware, which has eluded him thus far.
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“England will miss Gerrard, but Liverpool will definitely feel the benefit of him resting during the international breaks in the Premier League.”
Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster’s stock continues to rise, as he put in another impressive display in the Champions League against Barcelona.
The Catalan giants created an incredible 16 shots on target last night and the young keeper showed he was more than up to the challenge he faced.
The former Newcastle ace moved to Celtic in a £2million move this summer, which had been pre-agreed before his loan spell at Celtic Park last season.
He went on to impress, as Celtic went on to win the SPL last term by a considerable distance and now the Geordie keeper is illustrating why the Scottish club were so keen to secure his signature.
Despite Celtic losing 2-1 to Barcelona, they put in a brave display to run the Spanish giants close, even if they came up short. However, they will certaintly see their keeper’s display as a reason to be cheerful.
The Champions league is providing the player with a platform to prove his international credentials as he was picked in Roy Hodgson’s last England squad.
It has emerged that Newcastle are looking at the transfer market for a backup keeper to challenge Tim Krul and they may be ruing their decision to let go of their home-grown star.
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At 6ft 7 in the ace has a commanding presence and stature in the goal and Forster will be looking to use this to further increase his growing reputation in Scotland and abroad. It appears just a matter of a time before the player is handed an England cap.