Newcastle midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa has confessed that he would be open to a move to Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
The Frenchman has enjoyed a successful period in the Premier League following his 2010 arrival at St James’ Park.
His impressive form has seen him linked with big money moves on a number of occasions, but he has elected to stay in the North East.
However, he has admitted that his loyalty would be tested should PSG attempt to sign him, but that he would only consider moving on at the end of the season as the Magpies battle against relegation:
“After I have saved my club, you never know. Signing for PSG would be a childhood dream.” He is quoted by talkSPORT.
“If there is a proposal, I will study it with interest. If there is a proposal. The ‘if’ is important. PSG is a club that lives in my heart. To play would be a nice gift.”
The 25-year-old started his senior career with Lyon, making over 50 first-team appearances.
But, after a bust-up with a team-mate he left the club in 2008 to join Marseille, after rejecting rumoured interest from Manchester United.
He again impressed in southern France before agreeing a loan switch to Newcastle during 2010.
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Despite a serious injury, the Tyne club turned the deal into a permanent one a year later.
Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague has claimed that Real Madrid are not interested in signing Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah at the end of the season.
Salah joined Liverpool from Roma last summer, and the Egypt international has scored 36 times and provided 12 assists in 41 appearances in all competitions for the Reds.
According to the Daily Star, Real Madrid want to press ahead with a £150m move for Salah this summer as the Spanish giants look to overhaul their squad.
However, Balague has claimed that the Madrid outfit have not mentioned Salah, who has drawn comparisons with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, in conversations, and are actually more interested in Chelsea attacker Eden Hazard.
Balague told Sky Sports:
“Salah is a difficult one because Real Madrid have no mention of him as a candidate to be a Galactico.
“You can think there is a market in Egypt and he is a star of the Premier League – he has a lot of things to go for him – but if they get Hazard they won’t need Salah.”
Salah, who has also been linked with Barcelona, has managed 28 Premier League goals for Liverpool during what has been a remarkable 2017-18 campaign.
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The 25-year-old had previously struggled to make his mark in England during a short spell with Chelsea, but has been in outstanding form for the Merseyside giants this term.
The more hear, read and subsequently think about Arsenal’s summer transfer window, the more it genuinely perplexes me – and I like to think I’m a relatively unperplexable guy.
Fuelled by the ‘accelerated financial firepower’ of a new sponsorship deal with Puma and directly following the club’s FA Cup triumph in May, breaking their nine-year silverware baron, it was meant to be the transfer window that awakened the Gunners from their dormant state in the Premier League title race, witnessing the largest collective transfer spend in Arsenal history.
Despite splashing out a club-record £82million however, it feels as if Arsenal have almost moved backwards from last season, where they spent 128 days at the top of the Premier League table. A current league standing of fifth, 13 points behind table toppers Chelsea, pretty much says it all; the only accomplishments the fans can realistically hope for this season are the retention of the FA Cup and of course, another annual notch to the bedpost of Arsenal’s 18-year involvement in the Champions League under Arsene Wenger.
Money was certainly spent, but clearly in the wrong areas. I doubt many Arsenal fans would actively suggest the £35million signing of Alexis Sanchez was a mistake, yet it strengthened an area of the squad already well-endowed, whilst other departments were allowed to further wither.
The heart of defence is the obvious example; a simple mathematical sum (2-3=-1) was all the information Wenger needed to anticipate Arsenal squandering points through their lack of defensive depth this season, with Bacary Sagna, Thomas Vermaelen and Carl Jenkinson leaving the club and only Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers coming in. Yet somehow, he allowed the Gunners to enter the season one body short, resulting in eleven of Arsenal’s 19 Premier League fixtures thus far featuring either Nacho Monreal or Mathieu Debuchy, two full-backs better famed for their contributions going forward who measure in at 5 foot 11 or under, at centre-half.
But what I find most confusing is the situation in defensive midfield, especially following claims from Alex Song this week that he wanted to return to Arsenal but the club (or more specifically, Wenger) turned him down. The Cameroon international, who made 227 appearances for the Gunners before leaving for Barcelona two summers ago, told reporters; “I would have loved to have gone back, but they didn’t want to do it. That’s life. I don’t blame them. “
Now, re-signing a former player is hardly a traditional hallmark of progress, but it’s not as if Song has somehow declined from spending two years with arguably the most talented club side in the history of football. In terms of height, power and defensive awareness he represents precisely what Arsenal currently lack – a midfield monolith that can physically duel with the likes of Yaya Toure and Nemanja Matic – and the eternal absence of such a figure undoubtedly correlates to the Gunners’ poor record against top teams.
Instead, Mathieu Flamini continues to poorly impersonate the Mathieu Flamini of his original Arsenal tenure, aimlessly flip-flopping around, committing fouls and misplacing passes, whilst Song has been allowed to significantly strengthen one of the Gunners’ leading competitors for fourth spot in West Ham. The 27 year-old’s influence at Upton Park cannot be overstated; unsurprisingly, the Hammers look like a completely different side with a Champions League-standard footballer at the heart of their midfield.
I’m not suggesting Alex Song is the answer to all of Arsenal’s problems – if that were the case, the Gunners wouldn’t have sold him in the first place. But clearly in search of a new home after struggling to break into the first team at the Nou Camp and so desperate to return to the capital that he joined a London-based side that finished just seven points clear of relegation last season, a loan deal until Wenger’s desired choice of holding midfielder, namely, William Carvalho, became available, would have been a very astute move.
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It’s a similar situation with Cesc Fabregas; yes, Arsenal are already overloaded in that department and understandably, Wenger would prefer not to look for solutions to present problems in Arsenal’s past. But the consequence of not re-signing the former Gunners captain is a Chelsea team, already blessed with enormous quality throughout, headed by the most productive playmaker in the Premier League. And let’s be honest here – are the north Londoners really in a position to turn down world-class midfielders at £30million a time?
I’ve rarely understood Wenger’s attitude in the transfer market and at this point, it’s unlikely I ever will. But in regards to the summer window alone, considering how much Arsenal spent and the many opportunities since reported as available to them, Alex Song and Cesc Fabregas particularly, I find myself disappointingly underwhelmed. If Arsenal plan to continue spending as lavishly as possible, with the Puma funds continuing for the next few years, perhaps its time control over transfer policy began moving away from Arsene Wenger.
Arsenal travel to the DW stadium in high spirits following a second visit of the season to the Madjeski on Monday night, and they have scored at least five goals on both occasions against Reading. Wigan know exactly how it feels to have a morale boosting win against the Royals and this is where their last 3 points came from four Premier League games ago.
The latest league win for Arsenal takes some pressure away from their Capital One Cup exit to Bradford City in the Quarter Finals. If they fail to win here though that misery will be all come back and be aimed at the door of Arsene Wenger.
The Gunners travel to the North West having only won two of their last seven league outings, but their win at the Madjeski has added a renewed vigour to the side. Santi Cazorla managed to bag a hatrick with Lukas Podolski also wreaking havoc and he will be looking to be getting in amongst the goals this time round as well.
Arsenal should have Olivier Giroud back to full fitness with French International making a Cameo appearance midweek. It is expected that the Gunners will prefer Theo Walcott up front again though after his latest striking performance. They are still missing Andre Santos (stomach) and Diaby (thigh).
Wigan are still suffering a significant shortage in the defensive area with their main centre back pairing out Caldwell, Ramis (both hamstring. Antonio Alcaraz still hasn’t recovered from a groin injury. James McCarthy recent picked up an ankle knock and looks highly unlikely to shake that off for this fixture. These injuries just add to the long term absentees Ben Watson, Albert Crusat and Ryo Miyaichi out of contention.
The away side won both fixtures last season – Arsenal 4-0 at the DW Stadium and Wigan 2-1 at the Emirates. Arsenal would definitely very much favour that trend to continue this weekend.
Prediction: Wigan 1-2 Arsenal
Check the odds ahead of the game at the DW Stadium and with William Hill here
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Toby Alderweireld has regularly been mentioned in the media this season, despite the fact that he has spent a large chunk of the campaign on the sidelines with injury.
The Tottenham Hotspur defender’s future has been a talking point given that he is yet to follow in the footsteps of some of his teammates and sign a new contract.
Supporters have made it clear that they want the Belgian to pen fresh terms, but at the moment, nothing has progressed.
Alderweireld recently spent around three months on the treatment table with a hamstring injury that he suffered during a Champions League game against Real Madrid.
The centre-back made a brief recovery in February as he played in two FA Cup matches, but since then, he has been working on his fitness.
On Twitter, Alderweireld posted a photo of himself in training, which prompted a huge response from fans, many of whom are keen to see the defender back on the field.
Others, as expected, reacted by urging the former Atletico Madrid player to sign fresh terms.
Tottenham will be in action this weekend when they take on Swansea City in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
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Arsene Wenger has compared his star forward Alexis Sanchez to former Liverpool hero Luis Saurez, highlighting how much harder South Americans have to work from a younger age to be noticed in football and earn themselves their dream career.
Wenger noted the difference between the success of the South American players compared to those from other countries, stating that it seems that in Europe the approach is more relaxed when training the youngsters. This perhaps explains why there are far more successful South American players practising their trade around Europe than there are other nationalities.
‘Look across Europe and where are the strikers from? Many of them, at least 80 per cent, are from South America,’ Wenger said. ‘Maybe it’s because in Europe, street football has gone. In street football when you’re 10-years-old, you want to play with 15-year-olds. Then you have to prove you’re good, you have to fight and win impossible balls.’
‘When it’s all a bit more formalised, it’s less about developing your individual skill and fighting attitude. We’ve lost that a bit. Not every South American has that, but if you go back 30 or 40 years in England, life was tougher.’
‘Society has changed. We’re much more protective than we were 20 or 30 years ago. We have all become a bit softer.’
The really talented players that are cut from the same sort of cloth as other big names such as Lionel Messi, for example, come from a street football background where they have to fight hard and compete with other kids who are usually older than them. The beautiful game is massive over there, even more so than it is over in England, hitting almost fever pitch in some parts of Latin America.
Wenger was asked in a recent interview if he thought Sanchez and Suarez are alike and he said: ‘Exactly. When Suarez gives the ball to an opponent, he wins it back straight away.
‘Sanchez is the same; there is no time between the offence and defence. The transition is very quick. And they are very quick as well.’
Arsenal are at a point this season where they could do with some of the magic that Suarez gave Liverpool during his time at Anfield – he was the catalyst behind every great performance of last season when they came perilously close to winning the title.
Suarez showed the world of football why his previous roots had helped him become such a good player, his skill was mesmerizing, his ability unmatched. He can pick out any pass he wants, read the game, take on opponents and score all sorts of goals. All those things are honed and perfected from his street football days as a youth, quite similarly to Arsenal’s South American star Alexis Sanchez who looks like he could be every bit as good as Suarez.
Suarez has already bagged eight goals in his first fifteen appearances since joining the Gunners, and his manager has been impressed with how easily the striker has adapted to life in the Premier League.
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Wenger will be hoping that the background of his super star comes from will help him become Arsenal’s Luis Saurez, and go a long way towards helping his side win the title and some more cups to add to last season’s silverware.
We’re getting closer and closer to the January transfer window reopening and for Liverpool, it represents a pivotal point in their season which they must look to get right, for Brendan Rodgers is light on bodies in several key areas, most importantly up front, but would Barcelona forward David Villa come into contention? He could be just the player that the side are crying out for.
Liverpool sit comfortably in 10th place at the moment in mid-table after 16 games so far this season, but crucially they remain within touching distance of the top four, after their form has picked up despite a slow start which saw them go without a win in their first five games. The 3-2 victory away at West Ham, while far from a classic, displayed a growing sense of maturity and grit about the squad and it’s the first time in several years that they’ve won a game in such a fashion. With Everton just four points off in fourth, the tightly-congested table could prove to their benefit, with none of the teams challenging for the Champions League qualification places showing the sort of consistency required right now.
Nevertheless, scoring goals has proved a problem again this season like it did last, and while they scored three away at Upton Park to secure an impressive result, with Jonjo Shelvey doing well in a ‘false nine’ position in the wake of Luis Suarez’s one-game suspension, this should be seen as the exception rather than the rule. In eight home games this term, they’ve scored just nine goals, and they’ve hit just 22 altogether in 16 games, fewer than 10 other teams in the top flight, failing to score in four separate fixtures. The need for a new striker is obvious.
The names mentioned so far have been realistic ones, ranging from the soon-to-be out-of-contract Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who is also attracting interest from Arsenal, to Celtic’s Gary Hooper and Vitesse’s in-form Wilfried Bony. They’d all be available for a fee in the region of £10m, which is reported to be roughly the sort of budget Rodgers will be handed in January, while a deal for Chelsea’s forward Daniel Sturridge could also come to fruition.
The burden has, particularly in light of Fabio Borini’s struggles with form and fitness and Andy Carroll’s departure on loan, fallen on to Suarez, almost entirely to provide the goal threat required to make the team a top four force. There are no delusions of grandeur this term from the supporters, a top eight finish will suffice in terms of matching expectations, and it appears as if progress is finally being made in terms of the style and substance of their play, but they still lack a clinical finisher, even if the Uruguayan has stepped up to the plate at pivotal junctures this term.
This is where the 31-year-old Spaniard comes in, and after suffering from a broken leg last December at the Club World Cup, he’s struggled to win his place back under Tito Vilanova since returning at the start of the season. The signs were already there last campaign under Pep Guardiola that he was being marginalised and prepped for a summer exit, amid speculation about his fractious relationship with Lionel Messi.
He has played 431 minutes so far in La Liga, across 10 matches and has not completed a full 90 in any of them, yet he sounds as if he is beginning to grow frustrated at his lack of first-team opportunities, stating back in October: “The fact that I haven’t been used to playing regularly means I am less patient. But I’m ready to play and I know my leg will respond to 90 minutes [of action].” This prompted Vilanova, a more reserved figure in the media than his predecessor ever was, preferring to lead from the back, to respond with this somewhat challenging statement: “Villa is recovering the role he had before … but it also depends on him.”
The fact of the matter is that Villa does not walk in to Barcelona’s starting eleven anymore, and while he’s seen as a key squad player, more often than not, in games of importance, the sort he wants to be utilised in, he’ll start on the bench and at best will be used as an impact substitute. He’s fallen foul to the form of both Pedro and Christian Tello this season, while Andres Iniesta and Messi have both been exceptional and remain undroppable and he’s little more than a Copa Del Rey regular; he’s far better than that.
It all depends on whether he wants to bide his time at the best club side in the world, which at his age coupled with the realisation that Messi will always occupy his favoured central position, or move elsewhere for a few years. Liverpool have been linked repeatedly with a switch in the past, namely down to the Spanish influence at the club under Rafa Benitez, but they still represent a viable alternative, even if they would be setting their sights high in their pursuit of a player who just a few years ago was the undeniable best striker in the world game.
In 552 games at club level during his career, Villa has scored 274 goals, just a fraction below the much-vaunted 1 in 2 ratio. He fits in with the team’s style of play superbly and his versatility and ability to drift in and off the flanks could see him dovetail with Suarez to excellent effect. He has a point to prove and while his wages of roughly £5.7 million a year at Barcelona, which equates to roughly £110,000-a-week, while obviously steep, are not out of the realms of possibility given that the club agreed to pay a similar amount to secure Nuri Sahin’s loan deal from Real Madrid in the summer.
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With rumours of a move for Neymar refusing to die down, plus the emergence of Gerard Deulofeu and return of Alexis Sanchez, the number of rivals for a first-team spot at the Camp Nou will not be getting easier anytime soon. The player reportedly agreed to join Liverpool on loan before his broken leg back in January of 2012, and for the reasons listed above, if a financial package could be agreed, whether it be a loan fee or taking on the full amount, at the very least a high proportion of his wages, Liverpool could do no better in terms of recruiting a new striker in January.
It may be hopeful, but it’s not out of the realms of possibility and for all of the reasons listed above, this one should be given the green light be the club’s owners, who have been mindful of late about running up costs; there’s no denying that Villa is worth both the juice and the squeeze.
According to reports in the Sunday Mirror, Tottenham Hotspur have been joined by Manchester City in the race to sign Fulham starlet Ryan Sessegnon, rated at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, this summer.
What’s the word, then?
Well, the Sunday Mirror says that Spurs and Manchester United have done most of the running for the 17-year-old, who is operating on the left wing for the Cottagers right now but can also play at left-back too.
The Sunday Mirror says that City are now also interested in the highly-rated teenager, and he looks set to leave Fulham even if they win promotion to the Premier League this season.
The report adds that European giants Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are also monitoring the England U19 international.
How has Sessegnon done this season?
He has been outstanding.
The winger scored his side’s winning goal in their 2-1 victory against Derby County at the Pride Park Stadium on Saturday, taking his tally for the campaign to 14 goals in 35 Championship appearances.
According to WhoScored.com, the 17-year-old has successfully completed 45 of the 93 dribbles has attempted in the league this term, while he has made 42 key passes.
Would he be a good signing for Spurs?
He certainly would be.
Whether the teenager would play as a left-back, left wing-back or left winger for the north London outfit, there is no doubt that the quality and maturity he has shown at his tender years mean that he has a really bright future ahead of him.
The 17-year-old looks to be equally as comfortable on his right foot as he is on his stronger one, and he could easily be the club’s next Gareth Bale.
Will they beat City to his signature?
It’s difficult to say.
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Given the wealth of options Pep Guardiola has on the left side of his team, it would be difficult to see a spot in the starting XI or even the squad for Sessegnon, and the youngster may feel that he will get better opportunities with Tottenham under Mauricio Pochettino given how well the likes of Dele Alli and Harry Winks have done.
Steve Claridge believes Leicester City’s opening run of fixtures will not give a clear reflection of how they’ll do in the Premier League this season.
Nigel Pearson’s side appeared to have drawn the short straw when the fixtures were announced, with meetings against Everton, Chelsea, Arsenal and Man United in their first six games.
But after drawing 2-2 with Everton and losing 2-0 to second half goals away to Chelsea, Claridge believes the Foxes cannot be judged too soon.
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He told FootballFanCast: “The games that have come up early are tough games.
“The problem with the initial run that they have got is that it skews your view of the Premier League doesn’t it? These are not the teams that they are going to be up against.
“Is that true reflection of their chances in the Premier League? Well probably not. Let’s see what they’re like after around 12 games, when they’ve played six top teams and then six teams who will be around them. Then we’ll have a better idea.”
And Claridge insists that he seen enough from their opening two games to believe Pearson has a good enough squad to avoid the drop back in to the Championship.
“You get the feeling they’ll be alright,” he admitted.
“They’ll give a lot of teams a good game this season.”
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Steve Claridge was speaking at the Portsmouth Flagship Barclays Spaces for Sports site, Bransbury Park, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Barclays Spaces for Sports programme.
The programme is a partnership between Barclays and the Football Foundation and has developed 200 community sports sites across the UK, supporting more than 40 different sports, since it was launched in 2004.
Spaces for Sports is part of Barclays’ commitment to change five million young futures – Barclays’ goal to build the next generation of global achievers by enabling them to develop enterprise, employability and financial skills.
Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm has celebrated the impact of summer signing Michu.
The Spaniard arrived at the Liberty Stadium during the last transfer window and has made a stunning start to life in the Premier League, netting ten goals in 15 games.
His double last weekend handed the Swans a 2-0 victory over Arsenal and Vorm was impressed by his team-mate’s composure and ability:
“I don’t think many people knew much about Michu before he joined Swansea,” he told SkySports.
“I think his great strength is that he is calm in front of goal. He is always there at the right time.
“His left foot is amazing and he is good for the club.”
With their successful capture of Michu, there are rumours that the club may delve into the January transfer window to reinforce their squad further.
Vorm, who feels the South Wales outfit could build on a solid start to the season with a few top quality players, would welcome such actions:
“I think to stay where we are, we need to be steady and get better and compete with the rest of the teams,
“So we need better players to reach a higher level.”
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The 29-year-old, who is currently recovering from a groin injury, went on to confirm that he has been happy with the squad’s performances during his absence:
“I missed a couple of games and I have been pleased with what I have seen (of the team during this period),
“I have enjoyed the boys’ performance and am happy to see what they have done.”