Another day, another transfer rumour to keep the Liverpool fans interested at the Transfer Tavern.
Jurgen Klopp will want to try and forget last year’s defeat in the Champions League Final by bringing some silverware back to Merseyside. Liverpool have already got off to a brilliant start this transfer window by signing Monaco midfielder, Fabinho combined with the arrival of Naby Keita. Liverpool must continue their summer spending and bringing in Xerdan Shaqiri would be an astute signing.
The Breakdown
The Liverpool Echo reported earlier this month that the Reds will push to sign the Switzerland forward following the end of the World Cup.
Liverpool did try to seal a deal for Nabil Fekir before the reported £53 million deal broke down. Since then, Liverpool have been put off any future deal for the Lyon man and have been linked with the Stoke City winger.
At the World Cup, Shaqiri has been one of the standout performers and has been a huge reason for Switzerland’s progression out of the group stages. A talented winger, Shaqiri is valued at £12.6 million by Transfermarkt due to Stoke’s relegation to the Championship.
If Liverpool are to capture any form of silverware next season, they must add a goalkeeper, another defender and some attacking depth. Klopp needs more reliable forward options other than Ings, Sturridge or Solanke. At 27, Shaqiri is entering the prime of his career and could be a potential steal for Klopp.
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A £12.6 million move for the talented winger is a low-cost alternative to Fekir and a signing Liverpool should make.
Liverpool fans – should Klopp push this deal through?
Dirk Kuyt could be interested in following former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez to new club Internazionale, according to his agent.
The Netherlands forward has been linked with a possible move to Italy following Benitez’s unveiling in the Inter hot-seat.
Benitez left Anfield earlier in the month on the back of a disappointing campaign which saw the Reds finish seventh in the final Premier League table.
The Spaniard is reported to have made both Kuyt and Argentina captain Javier Mascherano his main summer transfer targets.
And although claiming his client is happy at Anfield, Kuyt’s agent has suggested the 29-year-old Dutch international would be interested in joining Inter.
“It’s just rumours, we know nothing about this offer,” said Rob Jansen.“Dirk is thinking now only about the World Cup.
“He has an excellent relationship with Benitez, but we are commenting only on an hypothesis, because there is nothing concrete. When and if an offer arrives, we’ll see.
“Dirk is happy at Liverpool and has a contract until 2012.
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“Would he follow Benitez? Anything is possible, but, again, there is currently nothing.”
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Aside from the plethora of terrible back-page puns, Keisuke Honda would bring a lot to the Premiership should he make a move there this summer.
Honda has been in eye-catching form for Japan at the World Cup and was easily their star player at the tournament. The 24-year-old midfielder was already showing glimpses of talent for his club CSKA Moscow in the Champions League last season, but now he has come to everyone’s full attention after his performances on the world’s biggest stage. He is one of only five players in the Japan squad who ply their trade outside of their home country, and his debut for the team coincided with his first move outside of Japan when he joined Dutch side VVV-Venlo in 2008.
Despite only spending two years at Venlo, he gained a cult following from the fans and the Dutch media dubbed him ‘Kaizer Keisuke’ – Emperor Keisuke for his good performances. He was named as club captain during his time there because of his consistency and ended up scoring 24 goals in 68 games for them. He signed for CSKA in January 2010 and ended up being thrown right into the deep end at the club, making his debut against Sevilla in the second round of the Champions League. In the second leg of the game in Seville he showed his class by setting up his side’s opener and then scoring the winner with a long-range freekick.
Having spent just six months in Russia the interest in him will be great and CSKA will be trying to do all they can to keep hold of him, particularly as their other star player Milos Krasic looks very likely to leave. Honda has many attributes that would appeal to Premier League clubs, his vision is first class and his technical ability on the ball can be outstanding at times. The only doubt about him is whether or not he could withstand the physical demands of the Premiership, but other than that he has enough about him to make sides very interested in securing his services. CSKA have no doubt landed themselves a bargain as they signed him from Venlo for just £4.9m. Now Honda has had a good World Cup they could probably make a profit of five times that amount should they decide to sell.
As he hasn’t been at CSKA for too long it seems unlikely that he would leave them this summer, however come the winter transfer window then things might have changed. Whoever can secure his signature will be getting a real talent and Honda definitely has the talent to take him all the way.
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Over the years Arsenal have produced some wonderful talent in the left-back position, and it appears that the Gunners have unearthed yet another gem in the form of 19-year-old Thomas Cruise.
Cruise joined Arsenal on July 31st 2007 at the age of 16 where he has since developed and honed his skills at under-18 level at the club. In the same year, the left-back earned a call up to the England under-17 team and participated in the first rounds of qualifying for the 2008 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship. However, due to injury Cruise was replaced for the latter stages of the tournament.
Working his way through the Arsenal Academy, the full-back helped the young guns lift the FA Youth Cup in the 2008/09 season, and has since advanced to the reserve squad following the promotion of Kieran Gibbs to the first-team squad.
The left-back has managed to appear once at senior level which occurred last season, where he played the full 90 minutes against Olympiacos following Arsenal’s qualification to the knockout stages of the Champions League. Cruise has had a prolonged spell at reserve level football up until now, and will no doubt be keen to push for a place in Wenger’s Carling Cup side this season to gain further experience in the senior squad.
The young full-back is noted for his great work-rate, strength, speed as well as precise distribution. The 19-year-old has all the attributes of a modern day full-back. Cruise can also play in the centre of the defence, but is more effective in his traditional role where he can utilize his pace and strength going forward.
The Arsenal youngster is currently in France taking part in the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship with England. Thomas Cruise managed to bag a goal in England’s opening game of the tournament against Austria and having watched the tournament so far, the left-back seems to be in fine form for his country.
As stated earlier, the Gunners have always had great left-backs. Kenny Sansom, Nigel Winterburn and Ashley Cole are to name just three iconic full-backs for the club. Current Arsenal left-back, Gael Clichy has made his name in the same role and is highly regarded around the world these days as one of the best in the position. Arsenal also have a young English starlet in Kieran Gibbs who has emerged as a protégé to Clichy in the near future (some fans may even say the present).
Soon enough Thomas Cruise will almost certainly get his chance as well, especially if he keeps his head down, works hard and continues his development in the right way as he is doing. No need to invest in a left-back anytime soon Wenger…we have a star rising by the name of Thomas Cruise.
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Captain Gary Neville will miss Manchester United's pre-season tour to North America after picking up a calf injury.
The 35-year-old full-back will stay at home when the club fly out for their five-game schedule on Monday.
Neville, who signed a one-year contract extension at the end of the last campaign, made 27 appearances last season after finally shaking off Achilles and calf problems which had plagued him for the past 18 months.
"Gary has suffered a minor setback in training with a small tear to his calf muscle," a spokeswoman told the club's official website.
"He therefore won't be going on the tour as it will be more beneficial for him to remain at Carrington to improve his chances of being ready for the start of the season."
Neville will join injured quartet Rio Ferdinand, Owen Hargreaves, Antonio Valencia, Anderson and Michael Owen plus England World Cup pair Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick in missing out on the tour.
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The trip begins with a training camp in Chicago before a friendly against Celtic in Toronto on July 16.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
The prospect of a takeover at Anfield in the coming weeks and the chance to finally get shot of much maligned owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett will have most Liverpool supporters grinning from ear to ear. After a turbulent two and a half seasons at the helm, marred by large-scale protests against their ownership, the American duo’s creditors, the Royal Bank of Scotland, appear close to concluding a takeover deal for the club.
The leading frontrunner remains a group of investors from the Middle East and Canada led by Syrian businessman Yahya Kirdi, who claims a takeover agreement is set to be finalised by the weekend. Kirdi has promised to wipe the club’s debt and start work on its new Stanley Park stadium, even claiming to have already reached an agreement on these terms with RBS following advanced negotiations.
The other main contender is Chinese businessman Kenny Huang who reportedly wants to rush through a deal before the end of the transfer window to provide new manager Roy Hodgson with the funds to strengthen his squad. While Huang distanced himself from reports suggesting his sports investment company QSL were being heavily backed by the Chinese state government, the businessman has indicated at least £450m worth of funds are in place to secure the club’s future.
The backers behind both bids remain a mystery and therefore it is impossible to say what level of funds they will have access to. Yet with both sides claiming to have enough finances to wipe the club’s £350m debt, commence work on a new stadium and make transfer funds readily available, supporters can assume a shortage of money will be the least of their side’s worries next season. Liverpool fans will be wary of the promises emanating from both of the interested parties, especially considering the large amount broken under the Hicks and Gillett regime. Both Huang and Kirdi seem to be attempting to win favour with the club’s supporters through ‘unnamed sources’ in the media or surprisingly revealing press statements containing their plans for the future of the club. Yet it is unlikely supporters will get too carried away until a deal is actually finalised and these words are put into action.
Should the large level of investment speculated in the media come to fruition, Hodgson could be given a huge transfer budget and the task of re-building a club which once ruled the Premier League and abroad. The Reds could suddenly find themselves with a budget to match rivals Chelsea, who themselves were the fortuitous recipients of a blank cheque signed by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in 2003. Yet with money comes problems and comparisons between Liverpool and the Londoners or Manchester City would not sit well with Reds fans. Although it is doubtful the any potential investment would be able to match the vast resources and unlimited funds put in place under Sheikh Mansour at City.
Kopites can rest assured however that one key difference between the clubs will long remain and that is their history. The Reds have won 18 league titles, while between them Chelsea and City have managed just six. Their history off the field remains vastly different too. Liverpool are traditionally a working class club in a working class city and a sudden influx of money would be somewhat of a contradiction to the ethos legendary manager Bill Shankly instilled at the club during the swinging sixties. Liverpool supporters would not want the soul of the club ripped out and their history put to one side and replaced with stacks of cash. You would hope the club’s new owners would look to protect Liverpool FC as a British institution and think twice before throwing around obscene amounts of money in the transfer market.
Liverpool would not want to be tarred with the same brush as Chelsea or City. Both clubs are levelled with the same accusation of trying to buy success, where Liverpool have built up a reputation over decades, not just a few years. Liverpool will be keen to learn from the mistakes made at Stamford Bridge and Eastlands following the increase to their respective bank balances. City’s mistakes in the transfer market have been there for everyone to see. Paying over the odds and being held to ransom for players such as Yaya Toure, Joleon Lescott and Roque Santa Cruz, when it may have been better to explore other options. Not to mention City managing to offend European heavyweights AC Milan by accusing them of ‘bottling it’ over the transfer of Kaka last year. While Chelsea have continued to pay inflated prices throughout Abramovich’s reign, £30m for 29-year-old Andriy Shevchenko anyone?
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Should the investment promised become available then Hodgson is the ideal man for it to be entrusted too. Liverpool do not need a major squad overhaul as seen at both Chelsea and City following the arrival of their owner’s millions. They have world class players in Pepe Reina, Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard and a few high quality additions would make a major difference to the Liverpool side. If Liverpool can spend wisely, clear their debts and start work on a new stadium then the club can look forward to a new era on a stable financial footing.
So, more wholly unsurprising news that a top footballer is playing the field behind his wife’s back. Wouldn’t it now be more surprising if the tabloids wrote an expose of a player who is NOT cheating on his wife? The gripping headline ‘HE DIDN’T PAY ME FOR SEX’ could be overlaid on to a photo of the player sitting on a large white leather sofa with his wife and two kids, all beaming happily. The highlighted quotes in the article could reveal the juicy details: “he didn’t really like going out boozing”, “he made me dinner twice a week” and “we occasionally had sex – but only when the kids were fast asleep.”
I must confess, I did read the red top that ran the Rooney story on Sunday, and there were two particular aspects that struck me. The first was the quote from Rooney’s transactional filly concerning the occasion when Rooney took her hand at a player’s party and led her downstairs for a bit of how’s-yer-father. Apparently, “Michael Owen was looking at him [Rooney] in disgust”. It’s a journalist’s dream. In fact, a journalist himself couldn’t have come up with a better quote…
Anyway, as my Sunday league team and I chortled our way through the article, I remarked that I’d love to see Michael Owen looking at someone in disgust. “What would that face look like?”, I mused At that point, one of the lads at the table turned the page and there, uncannily, was a full page British Telecom advert with Michael Owen, seemingly staring at me, in disgust. Actually, maybe he was just disgusted with himself for having to stoop to doing BT adverts rather than play football, or maybe he’d just remembered that he once left Real Madrid for Newcastle United.
The other aspect that struck me, was the lifestyle theme running through the story. Every ‘interaction’ between Rooney and his pricey sideline, seemed to involve a lot of cigarettes and an overconsumption of booze. Her story was littered with “He was hammered”, “he could barely perform”, and “he paid £200 for a pack of cigarettes”. £200!?!?! Is there a special tax on smoking footballers? Anyway, the more pertinent question, which Alex Ferguson is sure to ask, is why is one of the most talented footballers in Europe spending most of his spare time puffing expensive tabs and getting smashed?
Watch the video below to see why England should host the 2018 World Cup!
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Roberto Mancini has played down fears that Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli faces at least another two months out of action.
The 20-year-old striker has only made one substitute appearance for City following his summer switch from Inter Milan but has not played for more than a month because of a knee injury.
Balotelli had said he did not expect to return to action until the end of November, but Mancini insisted: "He is in Italy and his knee is okay. I think he may be ready at the end of October, in four to five weeks."
Meanwhile, the City boss is set to field an experienced side for Thursday's Europa League encounter with Juventus, adding:"Because we play the Europa League on Thursday nights we have only two days and two nights to recover, but I always put out the strongest team that I can.
"It was different in the Carling Cup (against West Brom), but now I can change two or three players. I've got more options. But I always want to put the best team on the pitch. I hope we can do a good job against Juventus and Newcastle.
"Juve are a strong team. They have signed a lot of players this year and, like us, are working every day to improve. They have been one of the top clubs in the world for years and it will be a difficult game.
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"If we win we have six points and it is important that we go through from the group stage. But when you think that you have done the hard work with two wins, then that is when you can make a mistake.
"I played against Juve all my life and supported them as a young guy, but it is not a special game for me. I want it to become a habit for us to be playing Italian squads, hopefully in the Champions League next year."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Sam Allardyce claims his Blackburn Rovers players are angry at the recent comments made about themselves and other Premier League clubs by Fulham's Danny Murphy.
Murphy made headlines last week after hitting out at the "ridiculous" and "brainless" tackles made by some players this season.
He mentioned Blackburn, Stoke City and Wolves by name after suggesting the managers of those clubs were to blame for the reckless tackles which have resulted in a number of serious injuries during the opening weeks of the season.
However, his outspoken comments have not only angered Allardyce but also his Rovers players.
"The players are very, very angry about what Danny called it. Was it 'brainless' or 'mindless'? I think that's an outrageous statement to make. The players are unhappy about that," he fumed.
"What we don't want is any backlash from those suggestions because they are unfounded.
"The backlash is that people's perception out there is that we're dirty side now and we're not, and we never have been."
Meanwhile, Allardyce has defended the disciplinary record of Blackburn during his time at Ewood Park.
He added:"I think it's very unfortunate that I have to sit here and defend myself, the players and Blackburn Rovers football club.
"It should be unnecessary that I have to do it, but considering the allegation that was made by Danny, which was totally and utterly wrong, I had to.
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"Myself as a manager, this football club and its players in its disciplinary terms since I've been here have improved enormously.
"We've reduced the average booking record. We've reduced the number of sending offs. We are not dirty. We never go out to injure a player.
"I never send a player out to go and try and injure an opposition player. We're too professional for that."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Tottenham made a move to sign Palermo youngster Abel Hernandez in the summer, according to the player’s representative.
The 20-year old Uruguayan is highly sought after and has just made the step up to the full national team in August, where he scored on his debut.
Hernandez has attracted plenty of interest with both Arsenal and Atletico Madrid heavily linked with him at the back end of last season; however it was Tottenham who made their move for the young striker at the start of the summer, according to the player’s agent Vincenzo D’Ippolito:
“In May, Tottenham asked Hernandez to leave Palermo, but the deal never occurred because [Palermo President] Maurizio Zamparini said the player was unsellable.” SkySports
Judging by the footage it is no wonder Hernandez is in demand and should he maintain the form displayed last season, Spurs won’t be the only club trying to force Palermo to sell their talented marksmen.
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