25-year-old left-back Juan Bernat is one of four Bayern Munich players for whom the German champions are willing to listen to offers this summer, according to the Daily Mail, and he would be a perfect replacement for Danny Rose at Tottenham.
What’s the story, then?
The report claims that the German champions are willing to sell the Spaniard as they seek to trim the squad ahead of Niko Kovac’s first season in charge at the Allianz Arena.
Along with countryman Thiago, fellow defender Jerome Boateng and box-to-box midfielder Arturo Vidal, Bernat is one of a quartet of players the Bavarians are willing to let go in the transfer window.
The former Valencia man is valued at just £10.8m by Transfermarkt and Tottenham left-back Danny Rose has been linked with a move away this summer so the deals could marry up well.
Bernat would replace Rose and save Spurs money
If a deal can be done for around Bernat’s market value, and Rose goes to Manchester United for a similar amount of money Daniel Levy managed to get out of their city rivals for Kyle Walker, then it could be a very profitable summer in North London.
In a similar way to how Serge Aurier came in to give title-winning experience at a cheaper price than the one Walker left for, Bernat – who is a much more reliable defender than Aurier – would be a profitable and shrewd replacement for Rose.
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According to reports in The Mirror, Manchester United are leading a four-way chase to bring £35m-rated Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri, who is seen as long-term replacement for Michael Carrick by Jose Mourinho, to the Premier League this summer.
What’s the word, then?
Well, The Mirror says that United are in pole position ahead of Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City to land the Ivory Coast international at the end of the season.
The Mirror reports that the 26-year-old has a release clause set at €40m (£35.3m) in his contract, which is due to run out in the summer of 2019, and there is set to be a big scramble for his signature in the summer.
The report adds that sources close to the player says that he would prefer a move to England, which would rule out interest from the likes of Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.
How has Seri done this season?
He certainly hasn’t been as effective as he was during the previous campaign – his success saw him come close to joining Barcelona last summer – but he has still impressed.
The 26-year-old has scored one goal and provided a further five assists in 25 appearances in all competitions – compared to last term when he netted seven times and picked up 10 assists in 39 outings in total – although he has been playing in a more defensive role in the middle of the park.
According to WhoScored.com, his main strengths are his passing and ability to make key passes, and he has an overall passing accuracy of 91% in 18 appearances in Ligue 1 and the Europa League for Nice this season.
He has also made 41 key passes, which is an impressive total given he has primarily been playing as a defensive midfielder – he managed 80 in 38 games last term.
Would he be a good signing for United?
He certainly would be.
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If Mourinho is looking for a long-term successor to Michael Carrick than Seri has shown that he can be the answer with his ability on the ball and to play as a defensive midfielder, but he also has the ability to play further forward too.
The 26-year-old is probably more suited to the box-to-box role in reality though – he would be most effective alongside Nemanja Matic – and it remains to be seen whether Mourinho would be happy to have a player that stands at 5ft 6in tall playing in a defensive role given the Portuguese manager’s usual preference of tall and strong players.
In recent years, it’s seemed that you should only be playing for England if you were exciting. Players must have pace, flair and the ability to repeatedly score ‘wondergoals’. Otherwise, they weren’t deemed worthy of wearing the Three Lions badge on the international stage.
Ahead of the upcoming World Cup, Hodgson must decide which midfielders he takes to Brazil, and who gets left behind. The press are handing in their suggestions, with players new to the international scene such as Ross Barkley, Jack Wilshere and Adam Lallana, all being tipped for great things in South America.
All three have had great seasons, showing their ability to skip past defenders and turn to attack their opponents’ goal. But are other candidates being overlooked, purely down to having a ‘boring’ reputation? James Milner has been a useful utility player for Manchester City over the last four years. Able to play out wide or in the middle, the 27-year-old has committed to fighting against City’s star signings to get any sort of game time. While he has made 14 Premier League appearances this season, only five of them have been starts, with only two of his five Champions League appearances not to be from off the substitutes bench.
Milner comes under a lot of criticism on social network sites such as Twitter, often being the butt of jokes about his ability and his lack of ‘entertaining football’. But is the midfielder actually doing an undervalued, unnoticed job? The former Aston Villa midfielder has often come off the bench for star attackers such as David Silva or Samir Nasri, in an attempt to sure up City’s lead, and keep the midfield tight. Milner’s work rate means that he can go forward, while also making sure that his full-back is protected. But he also takes fewer risks. Instead of repeatedly attempting to trick his way past players, Milner’s ‘boring’ style of keeping possession and working teams down has ensured Manuel Pellegrini’s side are competing near the top of the Premier League, and have qualified from the Champions League group stage for the first time. The 27-year-old popped up at the right place to score City’s winner in their surprising comeback win at Bayern Munich last week, showing that he can still score important goals despite focusing more on defence than some of his team mates.
And he’s not the only English midfielder to take criticism despite strong performances. Gareth Barry has entered his last contracted season at Manchester City, and has spent it on loan at Everton, where he has converted many of his critics in just a few months. A ‘new’ Barry has appeared at Goodison Park, helping the Toffees to have the joint best defensive record in the league. Everton have kept 8 clean sheets, two before Barry made his move to Merseyside. The former Villa midfielder has played the full 90 minutes in the other six, playing a key role.
Barry’s happiness to sit back and defend the Everton back line has worked wonders for Robert Martinez. The Englishman has consistently stopped opposition counter attacks, broken up the play and in return fed fellow midfielder Ross Barkley, who has been on sensational form for the Toffees. Barkley has danced forward searching for goals, in the knowledge that Barry will sit back and protect Jagielka and Distin. This system for Martinez has led to the Blues sitting just 4 points off the top of the table, with only one loss on their record.
He was a hit at Everton from the first minute of his debut, being the star performer in Everton’s 1-0 win over Chelsea in September. The Englishman was a step ahead of the game, repeatedly intercepting the play and launching Everton on the front foot. His goal-line block from a Samuel Eto’o shot guaranteed the 3 points for Martinez, and Barry has been replicating these performances all season long.
Both Milner and Barry have been somewhat forgotten when it comes to England’s World Cup Squad. On the Daily Telegraph website, only Michael Own and Paul Hayward selected Milner, whilst Alan Smith, Alan Hansen and Henry Winter all left the pair at home for flair players such as Barkley, Ravel Morrison or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. But could they do a job for Hodgson? Both provide security and defensive balance. Whilst Walcott, Townsend, or whoever Hodgson starts, is attacking, Milner and Barry would be wary of the gaps left waiting to be exposed by Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani or Mario Balotelli.
To bring either of the two might be an unpopular choice, especially considering the midfield options Hodgson has. There’s a long list of players that will be looking to get picked ahead of the two, and possibly rightly so. But there is still an argument to suggest that Barry and Milner shouldn’t be completely written off, especially after the 4 months they have had so far this season. While flair and attacking threat are exciting and entertaining, sometimes games can be won with security and defensive work rate.
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When a player manages to break into the Barclays Premier League under the provisions of any suspecting radar, it feels as if we are often very quick to douse them in a blaze of uncertainty. Today’s modern age dictates that every next big thing is usually well publicized within the realms of the footballing community- be it through the column inches of a dedicated blog or the YouTube montages of a fan boy’s creation.
This isn’t to say that Moussa Dembele’s talents have never been clear for all to see, but such is his ability, it feels truly remarkable that it’s taken till the age of 25 for him to really burst into public consciousness. But it’s not how you get there, more as long as you do. And make no mistake, Tottenham Hotspur have picked up one hell of a player in the Belgian.
The final game of last season’s Premier League calendar saw White Hart Lane encompassed in one of the more bizarre atmosphere’s you’re ever likely to witness in N17. Supporters were paying as much attention to the select few who had brought in personal radios, as they were to what was going on in the field of play, such was the situation regarding Champions League qualification.
But in between seeking out the West Brom v Arsenal score and hopelessly trying to attain any form of mobile phone signal, fans were left aghast as the authoritative number 30 from the other team, began running their midfield amok.
Spurs ran out 2-0 winner on the day, but all that left Spurs’ hallowed old ground that day were in no doubt as to who the best player on the pitch was – not that too many particularly cared. Fulham’s number 30 danced around the edge of Spurs’ penalty area at times, playing cute little balls through at angle, attracting the ball like a magnet and causing Harry Redknapp’s team all sorts of problems. Moussa Dembele’s performance may have been a surprise for some of the home fans but for the away support, it was simply another day in the life of the talented Belgian.
The beginning of this season saw Dembele continue from where left off from that day at White Hart Lane but this time, no one was under any illusions as to what he was capable of. Yet no one seemed able to stop him. After pulling the strings in Fulham’s devastating opening day 5-0 win over Norwich City, he then put in another virtuoso display at the Theatre of Dreams, causing Manchester United all sorts of problems as Martin Jol’s side succumbed to an unfortunate 3-2 defeat. By now, Dembele wasn’t so much hot property but a transfer market supernova- moves to both United and also Real Madrid were widely touted in the gossip columns.
But it was Andre Villas-Boas’ side who managed to capture his signature and Dembele signed for Spurs in a deal worth near on £15million. Most supporters have been pleased as punch with the 25-year-old’s acquisition, but there are a small minority who remain unconvinced. After all, if Dembele was so good, why has it taken him this long to get such a high-profile transfer? The boots of Luka Modric’s are massive ones to fill and although he isn’t a direct replacement, fans are well within their right to have the odd reservation. But the truth is that Dembele has always had the talent; it’s just that finding the right way to channel it has taken a little longer.
His goal scoring record might suggest that it was hardly ever rocket science, but Moussa Dembele was originally something of a conventional striker during his beginnings back in the Netherlands. Indeed. When Mark Hughes snapped him up from AZ Alkmaar in the August of 2010, the talk was that The Cottagers has signed another frontman or ‘attacking option’. Sparky said at the time:
“Moussa is strong and quick and will add another dimension.”
You were hardly expecting the Shakespearian but Hughes was being rather basic in his assessment of Dembele to say the least.
The Belgian’s career has gone from strength to strength in the last few years and it’s no coincidence that it’s prospered as he’s worked his way deeper down the pitch. During Alkmaar’s 2009-10 Eredivisie winning season, Dembele chipped in with an impressive 10 goals in 23 games but that represents something of an anomaly during his career. He is, as Spurs fans saw first hand against Norwich on Saturday, capable of putting the ball in the back of the net, but it isn’t primarily where his strengths lie.
His talents are far, far more influential in the engine room of a team, more centrally in midfield. His technical ability and close control are as good as any but he perhaps lacks a little bit of quicksilver to really make a case as a regular forward. This isn’t to say he couldn’t do a great job there, but he needs to be playing deeper- especially in this Tottenham Hotspur side.
As no one is under any illusions to how much the side are crying out for an injection of creativity within the heart of the team. Luka Modric is an outstanding footballer and as we are perhaps already seeing at Real Madrid, perhaps one of the best in the business at what he does. A player like that is in some respects, always going to be irreplaceable. But that doesn’t mean that Dembele can’t have as big an influence as the mercurial Croatian.
He has that similar ability to redistribute as Modric but perhaps in an alternate way. Maybe he doesn’t have the outstanding agility or metronome like quality as the Croatian does, but he certainly has a far more imposing physique and an authoritative level of power that Modric lacked. The combination of technical excellence and physicality is a rare one, but Dembele has it. No one is saying he is necessarily a better footballer than Spurs’ old number 14. But he has the ability to be just as important.
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And that is all that matters for Andre Villas-Boas and Tottenham Hotspur. Like his journey to the top, Dembele’s game is cut from a different cloth from many of his peers. He is as equally unique as he is exquisite and there can be no doubt that he has the skill in his locker to perform the deep lying role that the Portuguese wishes him to play. The challenge now for him is to come into an under-pressure side and produce the goods from the off.
And if Dembele the man is anything like Dembele the footballer, then expect him to take it all in his strider. Harder tests will lay ahead but the stage is set for him to finally kick-start his new team’s season into life.
How do you feel about Moussa Dembele’s White Hart Lane prospects this season? An inspired purchase or do you remain unconvinced? Let me know how you see it all playing out on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and bat me all your Spurs chat.
Mauricio Pochettino will step up his attempts to sign wonderkid Ryan Sessegnon from Fulham after signing a new five-year contract at Tottenham, according to the Daily Mirror.
Pochettino is the best manager in the country at nurturing young talent, especially players from England, and Sessegnon – who has also attracted interest from PSG – is good enough to take Tottenham’s bid for silverware to another level.
What’s the story, then?
The Mirror report that Pochettino signed his new deal after being satisfied with assurances from Spurs over a summer of spending and has set his sights on three players.
They say Sessegnon – valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt – is among that trio, alongside Ajax prodigy Matthijs de Ligt and Manchester United forward Anthony Martial.
The report also says that Pochettino is ready to make major surgery on a squad that has as yet failed to end Tottenham’s ten-year wait for major silverware.
Sessegnon is good enough to shine now
It remains to be seen whether Pochettino sees Sessegnon as a left-back, where he broke into the Fulham team, or as a winger, where he has shone this season, elevating his game to another level.
With Danny Rose reportedly close to the exit door, the temptation may be to use Sessegnon as a direct replacement at full-back but the reason PSG reportedly want him isn’t his defensive ability.
The French giants know he is a superstar going forward, thanks to his remarkable efficiency and maturity in attacking areas, reminiscent of Gareth Bale.
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Tottenham need greater depth in order to challenge on multiple fronts and Sessegnon is capable of coming in right now and making a major impact in the Premier League as Pochettino chases that elusive trophy.
We’re not even halfway through the season just yet, but Javier Hernandez has already become something of a forgotten man at the London Stadium. The former Bayer Leverkusen and Manchester United striker was arguably West Ham’s most promising summer signing, but he’s not made a start for the east London club since the very start of November.
There’s little disputing Chicharito’s talents, however, so tonight’s League Cup clash with Arsenal could be the perfect time to bring him back into the fold – a chance for the Mexico international to remind everybody of what he can do against top-quality opposition.
With that in mind, we asked West Ham fans earlier today whether the striker, who Transfermarkt value at £16.2million, should be part of the Irons’ starting XI this evening and according to our poll, a whopping 90% of those who voted think he should.
How would you line up David Moyes’ side tonight, Irons fans? Let us know by commenting below…
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Liverpool endured a tough last campaign finishing a lowly seventh in the Premier League table. With Brendan Rodgers looking to vastly improve that result, we take a look at five potential signings for him to consider in the centre-back department.
This summer sees the first time since 1996 that a Liverpool squad will not start the season with Jamie Carragher as an option at the heart of defence. In addition, two of Liverpool’s centre-backs have been consistently linked with moves to other clubs before the new season starts.
Barcelona are known to admire Daniel Agger with some media outlets reporting a bid of £12million a few days ago from the Catalan giants. Similarly, the odds with many bookmakers on Martin Skrtel re-joining the man that took him to Liverpool have been slashed. If the Slovakian becomes a Napoli player it will leave Rodgers with one if not two vacancies at the back even with the signing of Kolo Toure.
Click on Holger Badstuber to see FIVE defenders Rodgers could turn to
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.