Manchester United summer signing Shinji Kagawa was left frustrated after being substituted at half time of Japan’s friendly victory over the United Arab Emirates, the Independent report.
Kagawa’s £15million move to United in the summer has made him an instant celebrity in his native country but it seems the pressure may have got to him on Thursday night. Despite admitting he wasn’t at his best, Kagawa refused to blame his long distance journey for the display.
“Of course I wanted to play more minutes,” the 23-year-old told Japanese reporters.
“I always want to score but the coach makes the decisions. I’ll have to look at my performance today.”
“My body felt a little heavier than I expected, probably from the flight.”
“Fatigue is not an excuse,” Kagawa added. “I wasn’t able to run as much as I thought I would. I gradually want to focus my sights on the
Iraq game. The next game will be a completely different atmosphere.”
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Manchester United are set to battle Real Madrid in a big-money tussle for the signature of Neymar this summer, according to the Daily Mirror.
United constantly do this; claim to be in the hunt for superstar names, but they will not get them and the club should focus more energy on players they will actually get.
What’s the story, then?
The report states that Neymar – who is valued at an already astronomical £162m by Transfermarkt – will cost £200m and £30m per year in wages but United are willing to match that valuation.
It goes on to say that Real Madrid are also in the hunt and believe that they are front runners but United’s hopes rest on Neymar’s father.
It says that he is a United fan and would love for his son to wear the famous red of the Old Trafford club at some point in his career.
Neymar isn’t coming to United
This is clearly engineered by Ed Woodward; to ensure that the club snap up column inches and Twitter characters by being in the hunt for a player who will never come to the club.
It is an insult to the fans who want to see their team improve after another shapeless season to claim that they will sign players that they clearly will not.
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Madrid are on course for their third Champions League in a row; they’re operating on a different plane to United right now and it would be no surprise if they made a statement post-World Cup and snared the former Barcelona man.
While our social consciousness is flooded with self-absorbed selfies from Premier League stars on far-away beaches, I’m in front of a keyboard researching Bournemouth’s pre-season friendlies.
This is the time I lay the foundations for another season. Another campaign tussling with my Fantasy Football peers, in multiple games and leagues, with money and pride at stake.
Having turned Fantasy Football Scout from a casual hobby to a distraction that now occupies my every waking moment, I can’t really afford to relax. My “job” is to keep similarly hardened Fantasy Football managers informed, to do the leg-work so they don’t have to.
It’s a labour of love and it means I have to care about Bournemouth on a Wednesday night in Exeter.
This week is the biggest week of the year for me and other Fantasy Football managers.
Over the next five days we will select the players who will take us into the season, who will decide whether that first weekend is one of joy or frustration. Whether we can watch Match of the Day with a smug smile, or gritted teeth.
While I’m mulling over my own decision-making, I’ll be trying to help you out along the way.
For Fantasy Football fledglings, I’ve compiled the ten steps to success that will guide your initial foray into my world.
For more experienced campaigners, I’ve commissioned several articles over the week that will help answer some key questions I just know are keeping you awake at night.
Or maybe that’s just me.
Quite frankly, I don’t care. I’m too busy contemplating the merits of spending over five million on Troy Deeney…
Mark Sutherns is from Fantasy Football Scout the tips, news and views site for those who don’t just play Fantasy Football.
1. Know the scoring rules
Nobody likes to “read the manual” but if you fail to suss out the intricacies of the game, you’ll likely miss a trick. Do assists matter? Are there points for Man of the Match awards? Get to know the scoring rules and factor them in when scanning the player list.
2. Find the underpriced gems
Talking of which, you’ll need to reserve some time to soak this up. There’s bound to be some underpriced gems buried in the deep recesses of that long list of midfielders. Above all, look for players who are wrongly classified and potentially playing further forward. Strikers listed as a midfielders are often the key discoveries.
3. Don’t ignore the promoted sides
Take some time to check out the promoted sides. They might look like whipping boys but, in the early weeks, they can spring surprises and offer some great value. Set-pieces are often targeted by promoted sides as a source of goals – find their deadball specialists and make them a source of points.
4. Stick to proven talent
Try to avoid getting distracted by the razzmatazz surrounding expensive new arrivals. Drown out the fanfare and consider sticking to proven talent. For every Diego Costa that tears up defences from the get-go, there are ten Ricky van Wolfswinkels struggling to cope with the pace and expectation.
5. Use the fixture list wisely
Make the fixture list your friend. Treat it like revision notes – refer back to it and scan it at every opportunity for a chink of inspiration to guide your player selection. Players with kinder schedules are more likely to bring in the points, so look for patterns of easy and tough opponents and sort your transfers accordingly.
6. Keep an eye on injuries and team news
Stay up to speed with the injury and team news. You can actually make a long-term injury work for you if you can identify a cheap reserve player who is suddenly elevated to certain starter status. Similarly, if a player is out of favour, it may just allow a cheap Fantasy option into the starting XI and unearth a new bargain.
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7. Be as flexible as possible
Try to set your team up to be as flexible as possible. In other words, try to distribute funds across the positions to allow you to react to form and injury with one or two transfers. If you go overboard on expensive players, you may find that you’re tasked with making major surgery in order to swoop for the must-own asset who emerges in the first few weeks.
8. Keep tabs on your rivals…
If you play in a mini-league, be sure to keep tabs on your rival Fantasy managers. Study their lineup and try to anticipate their transfers. If they open up a gap at the top, you may need to take a few risks and bring in some players that sets your squad apart – a “differential” or two.
9. Use mind games to your advantage
Mind games are not just for Mourinho to roll out on a Friday afternoon press conference – you can gain some advantage by attempting to get into the heads of your rivals. A quick Monday morning taunt at the water cooler could prompt them into reacting with a “knee jerk” transfer.
10. Watch a lot of football
Watch a lot of football. Your partner may not enjoy this crucial part of you strategy but needs must – this is “vital research”. Scouting matches will give you a vital view on form and guide your future transfers.
It’s a shame that there was no material significance to the fixture between Wigan and Aston Villa on the final day of the season, as it would have been a gripping, all or nothing affair, between two clubs that only know how to play a positive breed of football. Yet had I written this article before last weekend, already knowing the Latics’ fate, I would have suggested that both sets of fans should stand up and applaud for a full 90 minutes.
Both clubs have been excellent value for money at the foot of the Premier League table, and apart from one team maintaning their top flight status at the expense of the other, their campaigns have been synonymous in many ways. More importantly however, there appears to have been a shared morality between the two clubs; whilst others involved in the current campaign’s relegation scrap have turned on themselves, with rumours of dressing room cliques, in-fighting and the continual sacking of head coaches, with Sunderland, QPR, Reading and Southampton all changing mangers throughout the season, Wigan and Aston Villa should be rewarded for accepting the position they found themselves in, and getting their heads down to make the best out of a bad situation rather than pointing the finger at the first opportunity to do so.
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Whilst Roberto Martinez’ tenure was always secured no matter what the outcome of the current season, Villains’ Chairman Randy Lerner pledged in January that Paul Lambert’s future at the club would not be in jeopardy even if he failed to steer Aston Villa clear of relegation. It begs the question as to whether the assurances and confidence from the board room was the biggest factor in the Birmingham-based club’s Premier League survival, and should it be a lesson in mind for other top-flight owners in the years to come?
It was an undoubtedly calming influence on the former Norwich manager during what has been a difficult period for the club. In the summer, departing gaffer Alex McLeish left behind at Villa Park a roster of over-paid has-beens, that was not only lacking in youth, legacy and longevity, but furthermore, quality. It put Lambert in a difficult situation, and the former Borussia Dortmund defender decided early on to commit to his own convictions and principles, with little room for pragmatism and every chance that the risks would quite simply not pay off.
With the transfer budget tight and the squad thin following the departures of Emile Heskey, James Collins, Carlos Cuellar, Luke Young, Steven Warnock, Jean Makoun and Alan Hutton, in addition to Stylian Petrov being out of action due to his long-term battle with acute Leukaemia, the new Villa boss invested his trust and finances in youth, signing Jordan Bowery, aged 21, Joe Bennett, Ashley Westwood and Matthew Lowton, all aged 23, from the lower leagues of English football, with the latter three becoming mainstays in the first team over the course of the season.
Similarly, Lambert showed faith in former bit-part youngsters and stand-ins such as Chris Herd, Andreas Weimann and Ciaran Clark, giving them the opportunity to make the step-up to becoming regular members of the starting XI.
The phrase ‘you can’t win anything with kids’ was once again bandied around throughout the course of the season, and many TV pundits were critical following a number of the Villains’ excessive defeats; losing 4-0 to Manchester United, 8-0 to Chelsea and 4-0 to Tottenham. The reliance on youth had come at the expense of £18million signing Darren Bent, veteran goalkeeper Shay Given and the once-brilliant Stephen Ireland, with scrutiny rife that Lambert’s failure to balance age and experience had lead to a lack of leadership on the pitch, with the players’ heads going down cited as the main cause of Villa’s heavy losses.
But through the course of the season, the risk paid off, with Aston Villa’s young cast picking up wins against the teams that truly mattered, recording victories over Sunderland, Reading, West Ham, QPR and Stoke in crucial six-point affairs. The important results have formed the bedrock of Villa’s survival bid, but undoubtedly could not have happened had Lambert not been able to maintain confidence and a cool-head following the his side’s poor displays and one-sided defeats, which is in no small part due to assurances from above that the futures of the players, staff and the manager were not on the line.
Another crucially integral factor to the Claret and Blues’ Premier League survival has been the form of Christian Benteke. The Belgium international has finished the season with 19 goals and four assists in 34 Premier League appearances, in addition to being shortlisted for the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
At this point, the decision to employ and entrust Benteke to lead the line for the starting XI would seem a no-brainer, but last summer it was yet another risk that Lambert had to undertake. The Villa forward was purchased from Genk for a fee of £7million – the club’s largest expenditure of the season, with a price-tag that exceeded double of their next highest inward transfer fee, £3million for Matthew Lowton.
The powerful 22 year old had been highly rated in the Belgian top flight, but Lambert was still taking a huge financial gamble on an unproven youngster, and took a further risk choosing him over a tried and tested Premier League striker with over 100 top flight goals to his name in Darren Bent, as Villa’s first choice striker.
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Of course, all of these risks I’ve mentioned could easily have backfired, and Aston Villa would now be facing the prospect of playing second-tier football for the first time since 1987. But it is a testament to Lambert’s qualities as a manager that he’s made the right call on numerous occasions this season, and furthermore a testament to his leadership that he has maintained his principles, values, philosophy and ideology throughout the campaign, avoiding the distractions of the embarrassing defeats to the Premier League’s bigger clubs without questioning or compromising on his own beliefs.
But most importantly, praise should be heaped upon Randy Lerner. He could not promise his incoming manager a wealth of finance, a roster of talented players or a club in a healthy condition to move forward, but he did grant Paul Lambert his permanent loyalty and faith, as well as promising that relegation would not determine the length of his tenure. It has allowed the Villa boss to operate without fear, which has undoubtedly trickled down player level and spread the benefit of confidence throughout all areas of the club.
Next season, Aston Villa’s young cast will be all the better for their Premier League survival, and the story of the Birmingham-based club’s season should be considered in the future as a glowing, walking and talking example in the case against the ‘hire and fire’, big spending and constantly short-termist nature of the English top flight.
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According to reports in The Telegraph, Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez’s talks over extending his contract with the club have stalled over owner Mike Ashley’s plans for the Tyneside outfit, and West Ham United fans have urged their board to act to bring the 58-year-old to St James’ Park.
The Telegraph says the Spaniard is keen to extend his deal with the Magpies, but he isn’t willing to do unless he receives assurances from Ashley about the direction they are going in – something that evidently hasn’t happened as of yet.
Meanwhile, West Ham preserved their Premier League status for at least another year following their 2-0 win against Leicester City on Saturday – coupled with other results going their way – but their boss David Moyes hasn’t been overly popular with the London Stadium faithful on Twitter in recent times.
West Ham supporters were quick to have their say on the latest on Benitez’s situation, and while one said “you need to act now David Gold and Karren Brady”, another said “get him now”.
It was a season of superiority for Chelsea in the Premier League as they stormed to a fourth title success and first since 2010; ending the campaign eight points better off than their nearest rivals Manchester City.
While the defence played a massive part in this success; particularly in the second part of the season, the Blues attacking prowess also went along way to ensuring the trophy headed back to Stamford Bridge last month.
Diego Costa was pivotal to the team, spearheading the attack and leading the line brilliantly grabbing 20 league goals; an achievement that earned him a place in the PFA Team of the Year.
However ongoing injury problems to the former Atletico Madrid star have become an issue for the Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, and with preparations for next season already underway reports suggest a new striker could well be on their way to newly crowned champions.
Unable to rely on Costa, and with Didier Drogba leaving the club this summer; a lack of options in attack leaves the Blues with little choice but to bolster their front line.
But the impending arrival of a world class striker; perhaps Gonzalo Higuain who continues to be linked with a £30m switch to West London, could well spell the end of one man’s career at Chelsea with Loic Remy facing a big decision over his future.
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The Frenchman certainly proved to be a useful part of the squad when called upon, popping up with some crucial goals during the season. But the problem for the Frenchman in playing second fiddle to Costa was that these opportunities to impress were limited.
He will most probably remain below Costa in the pecking order, and should someone of Higuain’s calibre also join the Blues then it’s hard to see Remy’s time on the pitch increasing.
A striker of Remy’s quality needs to be playing week in week out and having proven himself at QPR, Newcastle and Chelsea; scoring goals on a regular basis, he has to consider a summer move to a side that can guarantee him this luxury.
Having made just seven league starts; six goals and nine in all competitions still marked a decent return and it’s no surprise to see plenty of clubs linked with a swoop for the 28-year-old.
The likes of Swansea City, Southampton and Crystal Palace are all believed to be interested in Remy, and for the benefit of his career he really should be looking to move on.
He may well be facing the prospect of playing for a team with less chance of winning trophies, but he can leave safe in the knowledge that he has a Premier League medal under his belt and has to have the attitude that regular first-team football is the priority at this stage in his career.
Southampton could certainly be an attractive option having secured European football next season and with even greater ambitions for the future they appear to be the perfect match.
But with next summer’s European Championships firmly on the horizon, his participation at the competition in his native France could rely on whether or not he leaves Chelsea, regardless of where he ends up.
He certainly has the ability to fire 15, 20 or even more goals given the chance next term; something that would give him the best platform to enjoy a successful summer at international level.
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Remy could well decide he wants to stay at Chelsea and challenge for his place in the team; a result that would certainly please Mourinho having shown he is a great striker to be able to call upon.
But realistically he has to realise being the third choice centre forward means much of his season will be spent on the bench, and sadly leaving the Bridge is the only way he can ensure he gets the opportunity to flourish and continue scoring goals.
Clinical Premier League goalscorers aren’t always easy to find, ensuring it promises to be an interesting race for Remy’s signature over the coming weeks. And for those clubs involved it looks a great race to win.
Last season it was announced that StubHub would become Tottenham’s first official secondary ticketing partner, in a three-year deal. Initially being granted exposure on the club’s electronic advertising boards, the full ticketing scheme will be rolled out for the 2013/14 season. But what does this mean for fans of the Premier League club?
StubHub are an eBay Inc. company who have until late offered a secondary ticketing outlet for mainly US-based sporting events. Fans who have tickets for games, but are unable to attend, can place these on StubHub for any price they wish and sell them on to another fan.
In the case of Spurs, the facility will open once all the general sale tickets have been sold. Then season ticket holders are able to list unwanted seats for whatever price they like on the site. It will replace the previous ticket exchange, which enabled seats to be re-sold with around a 25% deduction on face value to the season ticket holder.
[cat_link cat=”tottenham” type=”list”]
Commenting on this announcement Tracey Keenan, Head of Global Partnerships at Tottenham Hotspur said:
“We’re delighted that StubHub is set to become one of our official partners and are looking forward to helping develop its brand internationally.
“StubHub enjoys enormous popularity with fans of all sports in the United States and this is built on an understanding that the fan experience is paramount – a principle we share at Tottenham Hotspur.”
I simply do not share the deluded optimism of those close to the deal at Tottenham. Several years ago Spurs ran a campaign called ‘out the tout’, with the aim of preventing tickets being sold to fans for extortionate sums of money. The deal with StubHub casts serious doubt over the club’s motivation on eradicating touts. The facility allows fans to extort vast sums of money out of fellow fans and to make matters worse, the club are also likely to get a slice of the deal.
You may think I am sensationalising things a little bit here, so let me run you through what could feasibly happen next year. The facility will only come into effect when all general sale tickets are sold. Last season Spurs sold out almost every week and therefore the system will be used for most home games. Clearly an over demand for tickets (i.e. selling out) means the market price is too low. How high could a price for a Spurs ticket on StubHub rise to then?
It would not be out of the question for a North London derby ticket to rise to many hundreds of pounds, with all other ticket prices rising too. For an economist this really isn’t an issue because with StubHub the market rules. However, in an era where football is already becoming unaffordable for the average fan, StubHub is just going to make going to games something that only the wealthy can aspire to. The once great atmosphere of White Hart Lane, which ENIC have used happily as a marketing tool, reduced to a collection of champagne sippers and corporates. This is an ethical rather than financial question, so is “fan experience paramount”?
The deal may well be advantageous to those with season tickets who can happily profit from the demand of other Spurs fans. This is not a dig at season ticket holders and I imagine most in their position would happily sell tickets for whatever price they could get for them. The problem is for members who already pay enough for a place on the waiting list and a degree of priority over tickets. Would a season ticket holder ever give up their seat when they can profit through StubHub? StubHub doesn’t even allow members priority, and the general public are all treated equally.
So what even is the point of being a member now? It certainly isn’t the free subscription to Spurs TV that’s for certain.
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The optimists among you may be aware that Everton have had this scheme in place for a few years now and it seems to work well for them. Having spoken to a few Evertonians, the difference for their club is in the demand for tickets – Everton very rarely sell out completely and this means that tickets on StubHub fetch close to face value and in some cases below it. For a club like Spurs this kind of scenario is a fantasy.
While ENIC appear to favour conservatism regarding on-field investment, they are all too keen to extort vast sums of money out of their fans. The only difference between touting and StubHub is that Spurs as a club can control the facility and sell the rights to it. Joe Lewis didn’t want to regulate touting for the welfare of fans; he just wanted to make some money out of it.
The practicalities of the deal still remain vague. Perhaps there is still a chance that the club may heed some of the fans’ concerns. But I don’t hold out too much hope for a club that is all too ready to treat its fans like consumers.
Newcastle United signed Kenedy on loan from Chelsea during the January transfer window, and the 22-year-old, who earns £25,000-a-week with the Blues according to a report in the Daily Star, has made a big impression.
The Brazilian has scored two goals – both in the 3-0 win against Southampton – and provided a further two assists from the left side of midfield, to help the Magpies preserve their Premier League status for at least another season.
The versatile left-sided player – who can play as a midfielder, wing-back or full-back – may well be a summer target for Toon manager Rafa Benitez, who was also linked with a move for Saints defender Ryan Bertrand by The Sun on April 11.
It seems likely that the Tyneside outfit would only sign one out of the two, so we asked Newcastle fans to vote on our poll for which player they would prefer this summer, with a whopping 89% voting in favour of getting Kenedy over Bertrand.
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Given how the 22-year-old has impressed and how the England international could be part of a relegated side, that result is hardly surprising, and it will certainly be interesting to see what develops during the summer.
Gone are the days of Arsene Wenger penny-pinching, with top stars boasting experience and know-how at the very highest level now arriving at Arsenal on a yearly basis. Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez have made the trip to North London over the course of the past two summers, and now all the talk suggests that Arturo Vidal will be the next big name to arrive.
Reports claim that the Juventus man – who is set to start for the Old Lady in Saturday’s Champions League Final – will switch to the Emirates Stadium after representing Chile at the Copa America, which has been greeted well among Gunners fans. It’s easy to see why, too… and here are FIVE reasons Vidal would be an excellent signing for Arsenal.
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A proven winner
With four Serie A titles to his name – all won back-to-back – and a Champions League Final victory standing between the 27-year-old and treble winner status, Vidal certainly has all the credentials to suggest that he’s a winner.
A winning mentality is vital at the top end of sport, and Arsenal have been labelled ‘soft’ when it comes to the big games in the past. But with players such as Sanchez – A La Liga champions – Ozil – a World Cup winner – and Vidal in the same XI, Arsenal would boast a core of players who’ve done it at the very highest level.
Tenacity
If there’s one thing Vidal brings to a team it’s tenacity. The 27-year-old is very much a box-to-box midfielder, who thrives when given the freedom to get up and down the pitch, putting out fires and breaking into the penalty area to help his attacking team-mates.
Such a style lends itself to the Premier League, with the English game a little more physical that some of Europe’s other divisions.
A real statement of intent
Over the last two summers Arsenal have signed Sanchez and Ozil… and on the back of these purchases – at a cost of over £30m and £40m respectively – two FA Cups have made their way to the Emirates Stadium. It seems then that a shift in approach has brought success, so statement signings are the way forward.
Vidal could be just that, too, with the midfielder a genuine world-class option and one of the most feared players in his position around. His addition would be a boost to the Gunners’ current crop of stars, further breeding a mentality of success.
Chilean link
With Sanchez also hailing from the South American country of Chile, Vidal’s potential adaptation could be a lot easier. There’s a lot to be said for a strong international contingent within a club, with groups of players able to help one another settle off the pitch – after all, footballers are actually human beings.
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The arrival of Vidal could also benefit Alexis, who – as a key Gunners first-team player – is of the utmost importance.
Keep him from Liverpool or Man United
Perhaps not the best foundation to build a transfer on, but signing Vidal would keep him away from, potentially, rival teams. Both Liverpool and Manchester United have been aligned with the midfielder in recent times, so there’s every chance that if the Gunners pass on the Juventus man he could end up in other red shirts, which could come back to haunt Wenger!
The news of David Moyes being appointed Manchester United boss undoubtedly broke the hearts of many an Everton fan, and even distant admirers of the Merseyside club, including myself. Rather than it being a simple case of a team losing their manager, the Scot’s decision to depart for Old Trafford had a sense of inevitability to it, as if the huge efforts on Moyes’ part over the years to get the Toffees constantly performing beyond their means and make them regular attendees of the Premier League’s top six, would one day come back to bite the club, with the fatal flaw being that the United gaffer-to-be was always destined for a higher calling.
It could well be the end of the Toffees as we know it without Moyes at the helm. Furthermore, the team, now without a manager until Bill Kenwright completes the difficult task of deciding on an adequate replacement, are an open target for the coming transfer window, with many big clubs throughout Europe holding a vested interest in the future of Everton’s key players.
The most bitter of blows will be if the outgoing Goodison boss decides to take his two talismanic forces with him to Manchester; Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini. The former is coming to the end of the season of his life, recording five goals and five assists in the Premier League, in addition to being the division’s most creative player according to OPTA, but at the age of 28, the move to a big club will be now or never, whilst the latter’s career, the focus of this article, is set to hit full swing over the next few years.
The Belgian afro-bearer has undoubted ability – but is it the level of quality required at Old Trafford? Will Fellaini have the same effect on a big team that he currently has on the Toffees? And at a club like United, where all aspects of a new signing are considered; does his personality present a level of risk? Essentially, does Fellaini tick all the boxes for United?
[cat_link cat=”manchester-united” type=”tower”]
As previously mentioned, the boy certainly has skills. For a player whose traditional role is in defensive midfield, a return of 11 goals and five assists in 30 appearances is sensational, even if Fellaini has been deployed as a supporting striker for the majority of the season. The Belgium international’s height and power will ensure that the end product from set pieces will always be there, yet the majority of his successful efforts on goal have not been via his aerial ability, but rather the use of his surprisingly cultured feet – often not needing to be given the opportunity twice to shoot from the edge of the box when given space, and often not wasting his chance to find the bottom corner.
Furthermore, Fellaini’s chest control alone is a unique skill in itself that even if you took away the rest of his game, would still make him an effective force in the Premier League. During the first game of the season, rather fittingly against Manchester United, the Evertonian was out-jumping Nemanja Vidic, not to provide flick-ons with his head, but use his torso to bring the ball under his control, and went on to score the winning goal in a 1-0 contest. It’s not the first time Fellaini’s presence has put some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs to the sword, and his consistent performances in important games bodes well for his potential future at Old Trafford.
Furthermore, out of Chelsea, City and United, you’d argue the Red Devils’ need for Fellaini is greatest. Whilst I believe all clubs would consider the prospect of signing the Belgium international, there has been a soft underbelly in United’s midfield for years, and despite his admirers, the vacuum of a physical presence in the middle of the park has not been filled by the over-rated Tom Cleverley.
Sir Alex Ferguson was reportedly a huge fan of Lars Bender, a hard-working, technically gifted German international, but it could do David Moyes the world of good to deviate from his predecessor’s trail of thought and use the coming transfer window to stamp his own vision upon the roster at Old Trafford, by bringing in a player of good quality and utility that he is already well acquainted with.
Yet bringing Fellaini into the United midfield would require him to fulfil a far more subtle and less glamorous role than his current one at Everton. Whereas the 25 year old’s stock has risen following his first half of the season flurry of goals, undoubtedly a determining factor regarding the interest of the big clubs, he would be utilised much more defensively should he move to Old Trafford in the summer.
He’s certainly capable of doing the job and has all the attributes required in his locker -physicality, strength, height, reading of the game, ability to pass and get stuck in – but without the goals he provides from the forward role, is his apparent price tag, quoted by the papers of between £25million and £30million, justified? There may well be other targets out there, such as Victor Wanyama and Lars Bender, whose fees are far more cost-effective considering they can undertake the same tasks required in United’s midfield.
But it does provide Moyes with a sure-fire plan B. Wayne Rooney’s surprising transfer request, which may be u-turned following the appointment of the England man’s former boss from his Everton days, does leave a vacancy in attacking midfield. The role will most likely be given to Shinji Kagawa, giving the Japan international the opportunity to shine that he’s been waiting for, but Fellaini would be an effective stand-in when required to do so. Furthermore, the United gaffer will undoubtedly have some testing fixtures during his first campaign, and throwing the Belgian up front for the final minutes could well be the difference between a draw and a victory, between success and failure.
If Ferguson were still in charge however, you get the feeling that the potential transfer would be far less certain. The Belgian’s abilities are of a high enough standard, and furthermore, since his arrival on Merseyside in 2008, there has been a natural progression and improvement to his game, and due to his experience in the Premier League, you’d assume it could only extrapolate further upon moving to a bigger stage and playing regularly in Europe. But if there’s one thing Fergie could never stand for, it’s a questionable attitude, which is the biggest doubt cast over Fellaini’s head.
His three match suspension following a haunting display of ill-discipline against Stoke essentially cut the lanky midfielder’s season in two, being a much less prolific element during the latter half of the Toffees’ campaign. More alarmingly than his form however, is the danger Fellaini posed upon his future, by committing three acts that could have justified a straight red card had the referee seen him lash out with his fists at Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth in off the ball incidents.
Similarly, his showing against Wigan in the FA Cup was an embarrassment to the footballing profession. Finding themselves 3-0 down at half time after a very poor display, the Toffees needed their best players, mainly Fellaini, to really up their game if they were to get anything out of the match. Yet the Belgian was lacklustre, lazy, selfish and seemingly not bothered, often operating at jogging speed and unwilling to get himself involved in the match, to the horror of the Everton faithful. He may be able to get away with such childishness at Goodison Park, but should he pull the same sort of stunts in a United shirt, the criticism from the fans and the media would be quick, harsh and condemning, and would furthermore reflect badly upon the new manager.
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I previously mentioned that an advantage to signing Fellaini would be that it would give Moyes the opportunity to step out of Fergie’s shadow and create his own path early in the next transfer window, but the Scot should still consider what his predecessor would do. The Belgium international is a fantastic talent and has already proved himself in the Premier League, but the former Everton boss must remember that he is paying for a defensive midfielder rather than an attacking midfielder, and furthermore, Fellaini’s temperament is a far cry from the standard currently set at Old Trafford.
On the surface, Fellaini appears to be the ideal fit, but scratch away and the cracks begin to develop. Considering it could well be Moyes’ first transfer as the official United gaffer, it’s success or failure will send out a message regarding whether the Scot has what it takes to manage at such an illustrious club, or if his talents will always be best suited a niche market of overachievement with limited resources.
The last thing Moyes needs is Fellaini to let him down, and judging by some of his controversial displays in an Everton jersey, showing his childishness and ill-discipline, that could well be the case. Furthermore, I’m sure United fans would not be too happy to go back to the days of losing a key midfielder to red cards and suspensions for all their big games, in echoes of the career of Roy Keane.