Fernando Torres will weigh up his future at Chelsea in the summer according to his agent.
The Spanish international striker has struggled since moving to Stamford Bridge from Liverpool in January 2011, and has recently gone through a long-term goal drought.
Despite El Nino’s performances improving of late, Antonio Sanz has stated that his client will consider his options at the end of this season.
“We’ll evaluate his future in the coming months. Fernando has another four years on his contract at Chelsea and the situation there has changed for him,” the representative told The Telegraph.
“With Villas-Boas, he was not considered, but the arrival of Roberto Di Matteo on the bench has seen him return to have the trust that he deserves.
“He played a great match in the Champions League in Lisbon, assisting the winning goal for Kalou.”
Roma and Juventus have been linked with moves for the misfiring frontman, but as yet there have been no concrete offers.
“We know the new American project at Roma and the philosophy of manager Luis Enrique, but if Roma want Fernando, they will have to talk with Chelsea.
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“The Italian championship is of a good standard, but there are currently no discussions with Roma or Juventus.”
“Kevin Nolan has joined West Ham United” When I read this I thought April Fool’s day had come several months early. The former Bolton man still had two years on his Newcastle United contract and was also captain of a club with European aspirations, so joining newly relegated West Ham just doesn’t make sense. Nolan could easily offer something to most Premier League teams’ but I suppose moving to Upton Park had something to do with his former manager Sam Allardyce.
Whatever we all say, the move has happened and it’s obviously the best one for Nolan personally but that got me thinking about other transfers’ that have sent shock waves through the world of football. Jean Alain Boumsong’s move to Juventus from Newcastle after performing consistently poor for his one season at St James’ Park just didn’t make sense…perhaps this was Juve’s punishment for the match fixing scandal?
Click on Craig Bellamy to find out who gave the newspapers a field day
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Bolton Wanderers’ 11 year stay in the Premier League came to an end after a 2-2 draw away at Stoke. The reason we went down was simply due to a lack of consistency meaning that overall, we weren’t good enough.
Could a spell in the Championship be beneficial for the Bolton Wanderers? As of October 2011 the club were £110 million in debt and this figure continues to rise. This looks quite worrying for a team whose owner, Eddie Davies, is only worth an estimated £60 million.
As a result of this the club is looking to balance its books. A parachute fee of around £50 million and the aim of reducing the wage bill by half will come some way in fixing Bolton’s financial problems. The Wanderers took a step closer to achieving this with no less than 15 players who left the club a little over a week ago. Eleven of these players were released, with 3 returning to their parent clubs and Nigel Reo-Coker who decided to active a release clause in his contract.
Also in the past few weeks Bolton chairman, Phil Gartside, has revealed both him and the owner are fully behind manager Owen Coyle and all three of them are determined to get Bolton back in the top flight, but Is this decision a good or a bad thing? It is a bit of both really in my opinion.
On one hand Owen Coyle has to take some responsibility for the clubs poor performances last season, however, the Scotsman has proven he is more than capable to escape this league as he did with Burnley a few years ago. He has shown a lot of promise as a manager, he is young and he worked wonders with Bolton in the 2010/11 campaign.
On to transfers, out of the players released Ivan Klasnic and Gretar Steinsson are the only two who would have featured in the approving season and these two can be replaced with younger players. Also Ryo Miyaichi has shown an interest in returning to the Reebok on another loan period, the young lad showed some potential in the half a season he was here from Arsenal.
As always there are some ridiculous transfer stories and the one that stands out is Jordan Rhodes to Bolton. With a number of Premier League clubs interested in him, this rumour is one of those. Other rumours include Adam Clayton from Leeds on a free transfer. I’ve not seen too much of Clayton but the little bit I have tells me he would be a great signing for us.
Bolton are also in need of a new centre back after David Wheater was ruled out for 9 months, it’s pretty much guaranteed there will be a defender arriving. A few names have been thrown around, one being Rhys Williams (Middlesbrough) who Owen Coyle tried signing in the January transfer window but was unsuccessful.
There is also a lot of speculation surrounding Zat Knight and Jussi Jaaskelainen. Neither of these have signed new contracts and can leave on a free if they don’t. Jaaskelainen, who has been part of the Bolton set up since as long as I can remember, is rumoured to be attracting interest from a number of clubs including newly promoted West Ham and also West Brom.
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Another player who has been attracting attention is Lee Chung-Yong. The 23 year old, who is highly rated by Bolton, is being target by Trabzonspor manager Senol Gunes who was the in charge of South Korea and handed Lee his international debut. Chungy has only recently revered from breaking his leg in pre-season and made 2 appearances, both as a substitute. This means the transfer could be very risky as there is no guarantee Lee will be the player he use to be, plus the move could prove an expensive one for Trabzonspor as CYL is a great prospect. However, Lee only has only 12 months left on his current contract and maybe this could be deciding factor in him staying or leaving.
This season is a chance to rebuild the team, Owen Coyle has already stated he is after younger players to take the club forward and this could mean if the right players are brought in then Bolton Wanderers could have a bright future.
Right at the start of the summer, one of the biggest priorities for the transfer window among both fans and pundits was for Liverpool to get rid of the dead-wood in the squad. Relics from mainly the Roy Hodgson era, but also some left over from Rafa Benitez’s time too, it was believed that by removing these players from the squad we could rid ourselves of a number of players who were taking up a sizeable chunk of our wage bill. Although Milan Jovanovic and Paul Konchesky have left the club, there are a number of players not considered good enough for the squad, still at the club with a couple of weeks left in the transfer window:
Christian Poulsen – Although there was a rumour in the Danish press a couple of weeks ago linking the midfielder with a move to FC Copenhagen, Poulsen’s agent denied the rumours and stated Poulsen’s intention of staying on Merseyside. Poulsen himself in recent day has stated his intention to stay:
“I have been really happy and I want to play, that’s my goal for the future. I am happy there with my family, it’s a good club and they treat me really well. I hope I can change my situation and play more. I haven’t heard anything from Liverpool; I am trying to be fit for the new season. So I think they want me at the club and I am happy to be there and unless they tell me something different, I am a Liverpool player for the coming season.”
The Dane has been poor in pre-season, as he was the entire of the last campaign, but there seems to be an unwillingness on his part to move away to get more first team football. His lack of pace means he can’t cope with the Premier League, and it looks as if that unless he has a change of heart, he is content to pick up his wages despite being behind Lucas Leiva and Jay Spearing in the pecking order.
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Joe Cole – The obvious reason why Joe has been a hard man to shift this summer is because of his sizeable wages. With Stewart Downing, Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt ahead of him for a starting berth on the wings, and Gerrard, Aquilani, Meireles and Henderson ahead of him in the attacking midfield role, Cole will be sitting on the bench for the most part this season.
QPR and West Ham have been rumoured to be interested in a loan move but the Reds are looking for a permanent move to offload the player’s sizeable wages. In addition, Tottenham have also been tipped as potential suitors but Joe would have to take a sizeable wage cut to fit to Spurs’s wage structure. We will have to hope that Luka Modric moves to Chelsea and Harry turns to Joe for a quick purchase on the final day of the transfer window.
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Nabil El Zhar – After returning from his loan spell at PAOK Salonika last season, the Moroccan has been relegated to reserve team football as the Reds try to find him a new club. He has started a few games for Rodolfo Borrell’s side to keep his fitness up but there has been very little talk about the 24 year old’s departure from the club. Perhaps, like Jovanovic, they could give the player dispensation to find a new club?
Philipp Degen – The perennially injured full back, and a poor defender to boot, spent last season on loan at Stuttgart where he didn’t really have a very successful time. Started on the right wing against Galatasaray in a friendly, but it was the last time we have seen Degen anywhere near the first team. Hopefully a move to a lower Bundeliga club or a return to Switzerland can be arranged before the end of the window.
After last weekend’s cruel defeat away at Chelsea, Spurs were left languishing in 6th place after a resurgent Liverpool leapfrogged them into fifth place with just four games left to play. The holy grail of the Champions League now looks a distant dream after they fell 7 points behind Man City and what was once destined to be the start of something special is beginning to feel just like another false dawn – to put it quite simply, without securing Champions League football for a second successive season, Spurs season will ultimately go down as a failure.
It will seem odd to most calling Spurs season a failure, but let’s attach some perspective to proceedings shall we. Barring the club’s entertaining run in Europe, they’ve flattered to deceive for the majority of the campaign and only their exploits in Europe and manager Harry Redknapp’s status as a media darling have ensured that their season hasn’t come under closer inspection until now.
The league, as the time honoured tradition dictates, is your bred and butter. The soiree into Europe should not have been seen as an opportunity for a jolly around the continent, rather the establishment of the club among the European games’ elite – without 4th place this season, Spurs will be confined to the dark depths of the Europa League and channel 5 for another season, a dauntingly poor prospect for most fans and a big comedown from this season‘s exalted company.
At home in the Premier League though, is where Spurs have failed to catch fire on a consistent basis. Last season, Spurs finished the campaign with 67 league goals to their name; from 34 games this term they’ve registered just 50 league goals. They also managed to make White Hart Lane into a fortress of sorts last campaign, winning 14 and drawing 2 of their 19 home fixtures. This season, however, they’ve won just 8 of their 17 fixtures in North London and drawn a whopping 8. They’ve already conceded 2 more goals than they did the whole of last season in the league too.
Despite looking like a club that is just a player or two in the right areas short of truly challenging for the title, in reality, they’re a lot further away than that. Since the end of February, they’ve been in quite rotten form. While Man City have churned out the points needed to secure the coveted 4th place, Spurs in the meantime have drawn against Wolves, Wigan, West Ham and lost to Blackpool, four sides currently battling for their Premiership lives and ones which they should be dispatching with ease.
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In the domestic cup competitions they’ve sorely disappointed too. An extra-time defeat at the first hurdle to rivals Arsenal 4-1 in the Carling Cup was only topped by a humiliating 4-0 away defeat in the FA Cup third round away to Fulham.
Talk of a power shift in North London has been greatly exaggerated too. Redknapp has often talked about Spurs closing the gap on their neighbours, particularly in the wake of Spurs’s 3-2 victory over Arsenal at The Emirates back in November. However, last season Spurs finished just 5 points behind their Arsenal in the league whereas this season they’re already 12 points behind them with tricky away fixtures against Man City and Liverpool still to come.
Yes, the games against Inter Milan, AC Milan, FC Twente and Werder Bremen were great. Yes, the Champions League has been enlivened and enriched by their presence in this year‘s competition; their youthful naivety to has been like a breath of fresh air at times and they are most certainly detached from the boring, predictable, humdrum affairs we’ve been accustomed to seeing in the group stages. But much like Gareth Bale’s farcical victory in the PFA Player of the Year Award (surely awarded more for his performances in Europe than in the league – why oh why do they bother voting as early as February every year), Spurs have been characterised by their exploits and performances in Europe rather than their excellence across the board.
Spurs are undoubtedly a great side to watch. They have also coped admirably with a considerable number of injuries at the back for much of the campaign, yet the feeling lingers that without that crucial 4th place in the league to validate their progress, this season on a whole will have to go down as a missed opportunity.
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Europe has saved Redknapp’s season this year, for without it, there has been little else to shout about on a consistent basis – there have been dropped points against lesser teams, a chronic lack of goals up front and a squad that doesn’t quite boast the strength in depth that it appeared to have at the start of the season. They are inconsistent beyond belief domestically and are a constant source of frustration for their supporters.
The crux of the matter is that Champions League qualification should not be seen as a bonus, rather an achievable goal to aim for each year; Redknapp raised the bar last season, but this term Spurs have fallen short this term of what’s required of them and that’s why ultimately, despite their entertaining exploits in Europe, this campaign will ultiamtely go down as a failure.
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On the domestic front, things could not be going better.
We are top of the table and not just winning, but winning in style and by a good margin of goals too. Rooney looks better than ever, our injury problems have barely been noticed, and the players coming in as replacements making more than a strong case to remain there. Even De Gea is repaying the faith Fergie has shown in him and looks better and more confident with every passing game.
Our attention now turns to the UEFA Champions League, the competition that after last seasons’ crushing defeat by the reigning champions of Europe and Spain, Barcelona, prompted the restructuring of the squad and a great deal of transfer activity this past summer.
The board and fans both realised that steps had to be made in order to compete with what looked like the greatest club side the world had ever seen, with masses of individual talents in players like Leo Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, and also a team ethos and a will to win. This, accompanied by the fact our squad was facing a number of retirements that summer, with key players in the twilights of their careers, led to us delving into the market.
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Fergie knew action needed to be taken if history was not to repeat itself and a young crop of players were purchased – and have done much better than expected, lighting up the domestic league and adding to what was already a great squad. When you also factor in a certain striker that goes by the name of Wayne Rooney and the breath taking form he is in, United look a formidable force.
It is true that Barca also bought in the summer; Cesc Fabregas and the Chilean Alexis Sanchez were the marquee signings of choice, yet they are both attacking players. No defensive reinforcements were bought in, with Guardiola choosing to hope the forwards would always score one more than the opposition. The option of playing with three ‘centre backs’ has been employed thus far, yet it seems strange to consider Sergio Busquets a centre back, and Barcelona do look prone to conceding the odd goal. Defensively there remain question marks, and whilst as an attacking force they look as good as ever, elsewhere on the park they may suffer when injuries and suspensions strike.
United will certainly fancy their chances of avenging the events of last May, but it would be foolish to look solely at Barcelona as our only threat on the European stage.
Real Madrid look just as good as Barcelona, if not better at times. Much is expected of Madrid in the second season of Jose Mourinho’s tenure, and they will be going all out to win the Champions league this term. Likewise the Italian sides. There is always tough competition from Italy, and places like the San Siro are tough grounds to visit for the away leg of a tie. As with last season, the possibility of drawing an English side is never out of the question, and although City are new to the competition, they look stronger than ever this season. It is always difficult when playing a side you know so well domestically in the UCL, as we found during our ties with Chelsea, and there are always surprises that get thrown up.
It is vital to win the group in order to gain a more favourable draw in the first knockout round, and this is our first target. Fergie will not allow the players to get ahead of themselves and become consumed by winning the competition so early on, yet we are certainly one of the favourites, and as fans it doesn’t hurt to dream!
Article courtesy of Rebecca Knight from The Busby Way
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Liverpool are gearing up to make a £7 million pound bid for St. Etienne’s French wing wizard Dimitri Payet.
Kenny Dalglish’s men are in need of a top class winger who can provide the service for record signing Andy Carroll, caughtoffside.com are suggesting Payet is that man.
The recently capped Frenchman has been making waves in Ligue 1 this season and his twelve goals and numerous assists haven’t just caught the attention of Liverpool. Inter Milan, Napoli and Paris SG are also said to be trailing the skilful 24 year old.
Liverpool have been crying out for a natural wide man in recent seasons after the likes of Joe Cole and Maxi Rodriguez have failed to deliver when deployed on the wing. Damien Comolli has in the past ruled out raiding his old club, but his links to St. Etienne may enhance the possibility of the Anfield club brokering a deal.
The former Nantes man has been at St Etienne since 2007, but with a team of Liverpool’s stature homing in on his services, the temptation to test himself in the Premiership will no doubt appeal to Payet. The left sided Payet could be the answer to Liverpool’s search for a top quality winger.
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Chelsea’s under-fire manager, Andre Villas-Boas, has informed the media this week that the festive month of December will be a crucial one for both him and the team. Six Premier League games and one in the Champions League is on the menu in December for Chelsea and the young Portuguese manager will no doubt by writing his wish list to Santa asking for maximum points in the hope that he’ll still be in a job come January.
Villas-Boas has seen his side win just twice in their last nine matches including twice to Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in the space of 10 days. The second of those defeats came this week and ended their Carling Cup chances whilst the league meeting knocked Chelsea out of the top four in to fifth. They have the chance to move back in to the top four on Saturday when they face the team immediately above them, Newcastle United at St James’s Park.
However, Newcastle will ensure that the crucial month of fixtures gets off to a tough start since the Magpies unbeaten at home and have lost just once in the league this season, away to Manchester City and who boast the joint best defences in the league along with Man City. They proved more than a match for Man Utd when they travelled to Old Trafford and held Man Utd to a 1-1 draw, so back on home soil, they will be no pushover for Chelsea in what has become a must win game.
Despite the outcome at Newcastle, it is the following game against Valencia in the Champions League that is even more crucial for Chelsea. To qualify for the knock out stages of that tournament, they must win or earn a goalless draw, a very tall order when low on confidence and against the Spaniards who know that a win or score draw would see them finish above Chelsea in Group E.
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Should the unthinkable happen for Villas-Boas and they lose or even draw against Newcastle this weekend and go out of the Champions League next week, then it could be that the 34 year will not be at the helm when they welcome Manchester City to Stamford Bridge. Even qualification in the Champions League may not be enough depending on the outcome of this game, such is the proximity exit door for Villas-Boas, if you are to believe the media and if City hit the form they have shown they’re capable of, then a heavy defeat for the Blues will no doubt be hard to swallow for Abramovich in the “battle of the billionaires”.
If Villas-Boas is still standing by then, they then hit the road to face Wigan and then Spurs away before Christmas before finishing off the year with home games against Fulham and Aston Villa over the Festive period.
It is hard to envisage a scenario whereby Chelsea win all seven games in December given the run of form they have been in and it is equally difficult to envisage Villas-Boas being in a job come the new year and being trusted to add to the £70 million he spent on two players in the Summer with more signings in January if they don’t at least go throughout December without losing. Any defeat over the coming month will result in close scrutiny of the former Porto manager’s tenure and after Steve Bruce became the first managerial casualty of the Premier League season this week, the bookmakers make Villas-Boas the second favoruite at 3/1 to be the next top flight boss to face the chop behind 10/11 market leader, Steve Kean, at Blackburn. As it stands, it is a question of when more than if for both Kean and Villas-Boas, the question is, will the search for the next Chelsea manager begin before the year is out?
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Every manager brings something different out of every player. Some managers like Wenger and Ferguson pride themselves on getting the best out of their players whilst others such as Redknapp expect their squad to prove themselves or face being dropped. Players are signed for their clubs in a frenzy of praise from manager and fans with press releases, blog posts and YouTube compilations spreading at an exponential rate the moment a player signing is announced, but it doesn’t always work out. Look at Diego Forlan. A laughing stock in the Premier League but then he gets shipped of to Villarreal and starts banging in the goals like nobody’s business. I remember one year he scored a hat trick on the last day of the season to win the golden boot for Europe joint with Thierry Henry. Not bad for a striker who supposedly didn’t know where the goal was. And he’s not the only one. Every season there is wasted talent in the league, players not being played or not benefiting from their manager’s tactics. So who are the top ten wasted talents in the premier league this season?
Click on Stephen Ireland to unveil the top 10
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Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has confirmed that he has accepted Carlos Tevez’s apology, will meet with the striker in the near future and may well select him once he is fit and ready to play.
The Argentina international has had a scandalous last year at the Etihad Stadium, between asking to leave the club, refusing to enter the field of play from the bench against Bayern Munich and going AWOL for three months.
After failing to land a transfer to a different club in the January transfer window, the South American has returned to England and apologised for his actions.
Despite being livid with Tevez earlier in the saga, Mancini has confirmed that things are close to being reconciled.
“Yeah, yeah,” the Italian coach confirmed when asked by ESPN if he had forgiven the temperamental forward.
“I checked what Carlos said in his statement and tomorrow I will talk with him.
“One week after Munich I called him and I said ‘Carlos apologise to everyone and it is finished’, I don’t have a problem.
“I think he needs two or three weeks to train, and then he will look at it – that is normal,” the manager concluded.
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