Brazil international Luis Fabiano appears to be resigned to staying at Sevilla for another season.
The 29-year-old almost joined AC Milan last year and was interesting the Rossoneri again this summer as well as Manchester United and Tottenham.
However, he was quoted by ABC as saying:“It is true that other clubs were interested in me but I have not held advanced negotiations with anyone.
“I am very happy at Sevilla and I have never said that I will be leaving for Milan or Manchester United. These are big clubs, but Sevilla are also among the best in Europe.
“Could I sign a new deal with Sevilla? My agent is negotiating with the president, but there is no pressure because we have a lot of time.
“I am due to return to training on July 26 and I am looking forward to getting back to work. We have not done too well in the Champions League over recent seasons but we are set to enter the qualifiers in August and we have to make sure we give 100 per cent to make the group stage.”
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Fabiano scored three goals as Brazil reached the quarter-finals of the recent World Cup finals in South Africa.
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If any respected author were asked to write about the stories and myths that have often shrouded Craig Bellamy’s footballing talents they would probably politely decline – they would not have enough time. However if Tottenham do eventually get their man, the White Hart Lane faithful should ignore all that has gone before.
After all, he has grown up since those days at Newcastle United where arguments with Graeme Souness and text messages to Alan Shearer made a welcome return to St James Park’ an impossibility and even to a lesser extent Liverpool where Bellamy decided to practice his golf swing on fans favourite John Arne Riise.
The opening of the Craig Bellamy Football Foundation for disadvantaged children is Sierra Leone and a generous investment of £650,000 of his own money to help build a football academy to develop the country’s young football talent is perhaps the most obvious evidence that the striker, capped 58 times for Wales, has repressed the destructive influence he once held.
His talents on the field have also come to fruition at Eastlands with 11 goals and 14 assists last season underlining the importance he would have for Harry Redknapp’s Spurs should he opt to join them over a re-union with Mark Hughes at Craven Cottage.
The Spurs boss is understood to have offered in the region of £8million for the striker who he believes would be an important part of maintaining the unity in the Spurs camp due to his experience with top-clubs and his combative nature both on and off the pitch.
He said: “We need a couple of experienced players – a few men in the team, Inter Milan won the Champions League with men, they weren’t kids. I think it’s going to be important.”
Such comments show the transition Bellamy has gone through in recent years and Spurs’ fans should welcome the addition of such a quality player with open arms.
The offer of Champions League football is likely to be utilised in order to try and lure Bellamy to Tottenham who face stiff competition from Fulham and Aston Villa if they are to install the fiery veteran before their game against Swiss side Young Boys.
Whether Bellamy will soon to be unveiled at White Hart Lane remains to be seen but it appears since his darker days at Newcastle Bellamy has come of age and his electric pace would offer any Premier League a threat in attack least of all Spurs’ who appear desperate for his signature so they can involve him in their European excursions.
Bellamy Goals 2009-2010
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With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery
Roy Hodgson’s first Premier League match in charge for Liverpool was certainly an eventful one. He saw new signing Joe Cole get sent off having been shown a straight red by referee Martin Atkinson. Then just as it looked as though the Reds were heading to an impressive victory against Arsenal, a real rarity occurred – the ever reliable Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina made a mistake! The Anfield crowd couldn’t believe it as the Spanish ‘keeper bundled the ball into his own net and thousands at the ground and back home watching on TV were thinking ‘did that really just happen?’ But our eyes weren’t deceiving us, Reina did score an own goal and Hodgson was prevented from getting his Liverpool career off to a winning start. But what was Reina thinking as he reflected on his costly mistake?
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This week you can win a copy of Superfan!
Superfan’ Morris Keston has organised over 25 testimonial matches and other fund-raising dinners and events for footballing legends over the years, including ones for Geoff Hurst, Gordon Banks and the late Bobby Moore.
He says: “Before top players could demand £100,000 a week, the stars of yesteryear would usually hit the panic button when their playing days looked numbered. A testimonial was an opportunity to finally get a decent payday and I was only too happy to help my friends in football earn a few quid out of them. Indeed, it was a privilege.”
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Caption Competition: A Reina Rarity! Roy Hodgson’s first game in charge for Liverpool was certainly an eventful one. He saw new signing Joe Cole get sent off having been shown a straight red by referee Martin Atkinson. Then just as it looked as though the Reds were heading to an impressive victory against Arsenal, a real rarity occurred – the ever reliable Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina made a mistake! The Anfield crowd couldn’t believe it as the Spanish ‘keeper bundled the ball into his own net and thousands at the ground and back home watching on TV were thinking ‘did that really just happen?’ But our eyes weren’t deceiving us, Reina did score an own goal and Hodgson was prevented from getting his Liverpool career off to a winning start. But what was Reina thinking as he reflected on his costly mistake?
Fulham’s England striker Bobby Zamora is facing at least four months out of action after suffering a serious leg injury in the 2-1 win over Wolves at Craven Cottage.
Zamora damaged his right leg in a challenge with Karl Henry just before the half-hour mark and had to be stretchered from the field after receiving oxygen.
Cottagers boss Mark Hughes later confirmed:“If the injury is as we think it is, it’s likely to be four months.
“If the surgeon goes in tomorrow and finds other damage rather than just the break, which is four centimetres above his ankle, it will be even longer than that. The four months looks like a minimum.
“It’s a shame but I don’t really lay the blame on the player (Henry). It’s one of those.
“There’s always a danger if you get tackled from the side or from behind that players’ legs can get trapped.
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“I don’t think there was any intent to hurt Bobby. You don’t expect the circumstances of the injury to be the result of a challenge like that, but it can happen.”
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Liverpool stalwart Jamie Carragher has reason for cheer after signing a new two-year contract with the club.
The deal coincided with the club's sale as New England Sports Ventures finalised their protracted purchase from detested owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, and the 32-year-old former England international is glad both issues have been resolved.
"We've been talking about it for the last couple of weeks but obviously there's been more important business for the club to deal with and rightly so," he said.
"Mine was put to the back of the queue and that was no problem but it's finally sorted now. When Liverpool offer you a contract you sort it out pretty quickly. I'm looking forward to hopefully finishing my career at the club.
"Since the day I made my debut, my dream would have been to finish my career at the club and hopefully now that will be the case."
Meanwhile, manager Roy Hodgson has welcomed the move, claiming the veteran is still one of the best defenders in the Premier League.
He said:"I'm really pleased Jamie has been offered and agreed a new contract. He's part of the heart and soul of this club and is a man who literally would do anything to achieve success for the club and he has proved it over the last ten years or so in the Premier League.
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"His contribution on the field has been of the very highest quality. Jamie has been one of the few players in the seven league matches this season who could hold his hand up and say 'I can't do any better, you could never put a lack of result down to my performance'.
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Manchester United may remain unbeaten but their away form continues to disappoint as Saturday’s match at Sunderland can really be considered yet another missed opportunity.
Although like previous trips on the road there were positives, not even the best MUTV-style spin can hide the fact that no wins in four away games is simply not good enough for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men. Forgive me but I for one am a little tired of trying to ‘look on the brightside’ as Chelsea edge further and further away at the top of the table-and let’s not even mention the noisy neighbours.
When a Liverpool defeat is the highlight of your footballing weekend, you know that certain issues need to be adressed and its time for United to deal with them before its too late. Yes Sunderland are a good side- just like Fulham, Everton and Bolton- but you cannot win league titles by failing to win your away fixtures and watching City leapfrog over United in the table merely underlines the fact that something’s not right.
Of course, as I’m thinking of getting tattooed on my forehead ‘its not all doom and gloom’ but like Mickey Phelan’s penchant for wearing shorts no matter what the climate, United’s failure to beat what is essentially a mid-table team is getting rather troubling.
So what did we learn from the trip to the second-best Stadium of Light in football other than the fact that it’s becoming compulsory to put ‘draw’ on the accumulator coupon next to a United away game? Oh, and the Reds still haven’t had a three o’clock kick-off.
Rafael is the present not the future. Rafael Da Silva picked up where he left off in Valencia with another quality display at right back. Okay he made the occasional mistake but how else is he going to learn if he’s not given the chance to make them? When it comes to mistakes the young Brazilian has a long way to go before he matches the amount John O’Shea can usually muster, so it looks like it may be time to give him a proper run in the side. Defensivley Rafael can be a tad worrying but that will surely improve and the lack of an outstanding candidate at right back- even though I think Wes Brown is world-class, but for some reason Fergie doesn’t agree- it is now time to give the youngster his chance.
Saturday’s performance was another reason why its now time to give Rafael the run he deserves, he may be young and occasionally a little reckless but he’s a quality player and a real threat going forward, as someone once sang ‘the time to hesitate is through.’
Too many strikers can get messy. I’m all for having five options up front but if United are going to make the most of them then Fergie needs to work out the right ones to use for the right games. Michael Owen was totally anonymous in the first half and while he can lament the lack of service- rightfully so- it was obvious United would have benefitted from the energy of Chicharito or the class of Dimitar Berbatov. I realise that Berbatov had played a mid-week game as a lone striker and Fergie may have felt he was not up to ninety minutes but surely if he can play one half he can manage two. United looked a far better team when Berbatov was on the pitch- ditto Chicharito- and had either of them been given more minutes then we may have seen a different result.
Darren Fletcher needs to improve. Sunderland seemed to work out fairly quickly that keeping Paul Scholes quiet was a surefir way to stifle the brunt of United’s creativity. With Scholes was being closed down within seconds of recieving the ball it meant that it was up to others to try and conjure up something in midfield. Anderson gets stuck in but is still yet to get back to full fitness. The game was crying out for Fletcher to do more than just tackle people and give the ball to Scholes. At the start of the season I claimed that if United were to regain the title then Fletcher had to raise his game against the so-called ‘lesser teams.’ Put him against Chelsea or Arsenal and Fletcher’s like a man possessed, however he needs to do it more consistently. There is an argument that he’s merely a defensive midfielder not responsible for creating attacks. However we’ve seen Fletcher influence games in the past, moving the ball forward and it was crying out for something similar at the Stadium of Light. Like the game against Bolton the Scottish skipper seemed unwilling or unable to generate any sort of attacking moves and United suffered because of it.
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Rio Ferdinand is vital. If United are to win the title, then they’re going to need Ferdinand for at least the majority of games. Rioferdy5 as he calls himself on twitter was back to his commanding best and United looked a lot better because of it. While Jonny Evans has done an admirable job filling in for Ferdinand he’s not quite in the same class and despite the fact that Nemanja Vidic was wearing the captain’s armband it was Rio who seemed to be marshalling the defence. United’s second successive clean sheet with Ferdinand back in the starting line-up is no coincidence.
Patrice Evra should not be ‘rested.’ Some may disagree- as they always do with a lot of what I write- but for me Evra is the world’s best left-back and is absolutely fundamental to the United team. Although he’s not looked as sharp since the World Cup -debacle- he’s still an immense threat going forward and the prospect of him and Rafael getting down the wings on the overlap would have been a scary one for Steve Bruce’s men. In the second half we even saw Vidic getting down the left flank- my mate called it ‘disorganised’ I called it ‘total football.’ I’m aware that Evra played midweek but I feel dropping him was a gamble that backfired as although O’Shea did put in the -extremely- occasional cross he’s never going to be as much of a threat as Evra.
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Roy Hodgson isn’t exactly a popular figure on Merseyside and this is justifiably so according to a multitude of Liverpool fans. They find themselves with an uninspiring football style that witnesses players looking dejected and the belief that transfers will rectify this predicament with the backing of the new ownership in the New England Sport Ventures. But if Liverpool fans have observed the NESV at work in baseball then there is a slightly more shrewd policy implemented to gain success against money wielding clubs. What I’d like to assess is whether Hodgson is the correct man for this policy?
The Red Sox, with a financial structure that limited their capability to compete with the big spenders had to find another mode to attain success. This came in the guise of using statistical models which allowed unbiased, clear and precise determinations made on players purely based on their efficiency. With this model they could acquire value in the market by unearthing talent that had been missed due to certain circumstances and profit from the short-sightedness of their rivals. This punctilious approach will now be enacted at Liverpool to try and curb the financial outlay on transfers whilst remaining competitive.
The difference between impersonal statistics and the appreciation of the human condition presents itself here. With the statistics being stared at with cold, calm and calculating eyes by the NESV, it has evidence behind it for the faith given it, but this is in baseball and not football. Football involves far more technical and physical ability in a general sense as opposed to the specificities of pitching and batting which can be monitored fairly consistently. With these statistics there is no room for the appreciation or empathising of the human temperament, numbers don’t forgive failure they merely accentuate it.
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If a player performs poorly, the stats won’t lie and will highlight it, but they won’t necessarily explain why a player hasn’t performed well. The majority of players will have a foundational base of skill sets, but it is the psychological constitution of a player that establishes whether or not they can cope with pressure, expectation, failure, excessive rewards and the other aspects you have to manage in order to be successful. Statistics wouldn’t absolve failure in view of these excuses and a forgiving hand may only be extended if conscious of the entire picture.
Regardless of my thoughts on the mathematical formulas that could come to determine the transfer policy at Liverpool, is Hodgson the right man to see it through? He has found quality in unearthing players such as Brede Hangeland and revitalised the careers of players that had seemingly run along a plateau for some time in the likes of Danny Murphy, Bobby Zamora, Paul Konchesky and Zoltan Gera. This presents the value in the market that NESV are striving for, but would those same statistics have given the aforementioned players the chance to progress and realise their potential under suitable guidance from Hodgson? It would appear that they wouldn’t because with these types of player you take a risk, which is why value is gained when you accomplish the potential you saw in them.
Statistical formulas such as Pro Zone are supposed to remove as much risk as possible and eliminate human error, for we are a fallible lot, but without risk we lose the initiative and route to success. But then is this system taking a risk in itself? I think Hodgson would appreciate the assistance of such a system, but in a game that is so complex and emotionally invested as football the intuitive elements shouldn’t take a back seat to the stats. Hodgson after all would pick the team, train them, impose his style of play (does baseball have such a diverse difference in approaches as football?) and be responsible for the results. He is the right man given time, but so are you on Football Manager with the statistics at hand.
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Andy Carroll’s inclusion in the most recent England squad has puzzled me, to say the least. Appointing Fabio Capello as manager of the national team was supposed to the beginning of a bright new era of English football; England could now adopt a more tactical approach to the game, as opposed to the uber physical approach this nation is notorious for. However, to my dismay, the ‘big man up front’ theme still continues. What makes Fabio Capello believe that Carroll will have any more of an impact than Kevin Davies? This is by no means attacking Carroll’s as a player, as his contriubtion to Newcastles bright start to the season has been immense. It is the insistence on the inclusion of players like Davies, Crouch and Carroll that force a long ball game to be played, that concerns me the most.
People ask, ‘isn’t the physical nature what makes our game so great?’ According to you people, apparently so, but it is also to blame for the England national team being light-years behind the world’s leading footballing nations. Despite the hustle and bustle of the Premier League being one of its infamous qualities, it should never be a substitute for skill and technique, something it has unfortunately become. And for this precise reason, England embarass themselves regularly on the international front, but the men upstairs, the brains behind these English failings continue to rely on out-powering our opposition, whilst our opposition continue to out-football us. Steve Bruce’s thoughts on the subject are perfect exemplification of the difficulty English football faces.
‘If we take competitiveness away, we will end up like France and Spain and Italy where it is just all technique.‘ Exactly Steve, who would want England to be like three of the last four World Cup winning nations?
A brief scan through England’s record in the knock-out phases of major competition since 1966 makes for interesting reading; Spain, on home turf, are the only major scalp, whilst Paraguay, Denmark, Cameroon and Belgium make up the rest of England’s wins in the knock-out phases of World Cups and European Championships. Bafflingly, England are still classed by many as a footballing super power, but the truth is our international counterparts are striding further and further ahead into the modern game, whilst England stay rooted in primitive tactics that become more inappropriate with every game played. For instance, an ‘old-fashioned centre forward’ starting tonight against France is exactly that; old fashioned.
Our supposed ‘rivals’ have been developing facilities and technical training from a young age for years, and offer proof as to how far England are lagging behind the international elite. The amount of UEFA coaches qualified to the highest standard in Spain, Germany and Italy stands at 34,970, 29,240 and 23,995 respectively. In England it stands at the genuinely shocking number of 2, 769.
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England didn’t beat France, and Carroll didn’t score. What about next time? Shall we try Heskey again?
The Wigan game at Upton Park this weekend was billed as an S.O.S. (Save Our Season) game for West Ham, and the Hammers duly obliged with a fairly convincing 3-1 win over the Latics. Now you only need to take one glance at the Premier League table to realise the ‘Save Our Season’ part of the match was merely a marketing ploy to tie-in with ticket incentives, but will what was only West Ham’s second win of the season really begin to turn things around at the Boleyn Ground, or is it just delaying the inevitable.
I should quickly say, given all the negative press West Ham have attracted this season with regards to performances on the pitch, and some of the debacles that have happened off it, that the side dutifully stepped up and dispatched Wigan, in a game made all the more pertinent by Wolves’ late comeback against Sunderland. Wigan may well have been below par and under strength, but the Hammers have played better than that this season and not come away with the result, so it was nice to grab the win. Having said that, even at 3-0 up the tension was palpable, with many utterances of ‘surely even we can’t throw this away’.
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If this season has proven one thing at Upton Park, it is that confidence is a fragile entity, and this one victory is not even enough to steer West Ham’s ship on course, let alone lead it away from the rocks entirely. But perhaps this result will restore some belief in the side, and begin to galvanise the support in the stands. But this side can in no way rest on its laurels, and needs to follow the Wigan victory up with not only results, but decent and inspiring displays, starting with Tuesday night’s Carling Cup clash against Manchester United.
After it was all change behind the scenes last week with the departure of Zeljko Petrovic and the arrival of Wally Downes, the bench, appeared at least, to be a little more dynamic, and a little more involved with matters occurring on the pitch. Although he must have been disappointed with the late Tom Cleverley goal that deprived West Ham of only their third clean sheet of the season, Wally Downes must be fairly pleased with his first day at the office, and was an active presence on the touchline.
So although West Ham are far from out of the woods yet, there is plenty of food for thought after a convincing victory, the question surely is whether this type of result will be made into a regular occurrence, or whether the Hammers faithful will be made to wait for another 3 points, by which time their fate may well have already been sealed.
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Click on Giorgia Palmas below to see her in all her glory
As Arsenal push hard for silverware this season, a number of flaws in their squad have become apparent. Disappointingly they are the same flaws that have derailed Arsenal’s title challenges over the last half-decade or so. Whilst it’s clear that the Gunners are as strong as ever going forward, defensively they look fragile. Of course, this is a common trait of any Arsene Wenger side. His footballing philosophy centres on free-flowing, eye-catching, offensive football and as a result, the defensive side of the game often gets left by the wayside.
Samir Nasri, Theo Walcott, Andrey Arshavin – all quality players who give Arsenal options upfront. Unfortunately, their defending high up the pitch often leaves something to be desired. Arsenal’s defensive backbone doesn’t extend further than the back-four.
Take for instance, Alex Song. As Arsenal’s defensive midfielder he should be a fixed point on the pitch. He should operate as a midfield anchor, sweeping up any loose balls in front of the Arsenal defence. Opting to forgo this custom, Wenger has granted Song freedom of the realm. His buccaneering runs and marauding spirit has seen the Gunners caught out at the back a number of times this season, when the back-four hasn’t been provided with the protection they need.
The kind of player that Arsenal really need this season is one who can lead by example and provide the team with a more defensive mindset. Defending is not just the job of the back four. If Arsenal can learn to defend all over the pitch with a Barcelona-esque high pressure game, they could be genuine title contenders
A lot of frustration has been vented at Sébastien Squillaci over the last couple of weeks. He’s slow, cumbersome and somewhat error prone. I’d like to see the Gunners bring in a defender who reads the game better and competes with strikers in the air. Squillaci was only ever supposed to be a covering defender, but with Vermaelen out injured has played a vital role in Arsenal’s season thus far. It’s harsh to be too critical of a player so fresh to the Premier League, but Arsenal are looking for success right now, not in the future. As such, the need for some fresh defensive cover is clear.
There has been a lot of noise concerning the likes of Blackburn’s Christopher Samba and Bolton’s Gary Cahill. Two decent defenders for sure, but I’m hoping that Wenger looks outside the Premier League this January. In fact I’m hoping he trains his gaze onto the Bundesliga. Per Mertesacker, who currently plies his trade for Werder Bremen would make an excellent addition to Arsenal’s squad.
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The intimidating (6 feet 6 inches tall!) centre back has made a name for himself as one of the best defenders in Germany. He’s quick across the deck, always seems to be in the right position and towers above most strikers. Werder Bremen rate the lanky 26 year-old at about £8.5 million. He’s experienced, he has pedigree and I’m sure would be able to adapt to the Premier League quickly. Arsenal should snap him up. .
Who is the ONE player you’d like to see in the red and white of Arsenal? Feel free to leave a comment or follow me on Twitter @ThePerfectPass.