Queens Park Rangers and West Ham have both missed out on the chance to sign Nicolas Anelka as he is set to link up with Juventus for the rest of the season according to goal.com.
Juventus have been in constant contact with Anelka’s club Shanghai Shenhua this week and have now come to an agreement to cancel his current contract in order to sign on in Turin.
Anelka will join Fernando Llorente as a new signing at the Old Lady and they still haven’t given up hope of bringing Didier Drogba to the Italy either.
QPR boss Harry Redknapp had admitted that he was a big fan of Anelka’s and with money to spend; many thought his arrival in West London could have been imminent.
West Ham are still on the lookout for a forward who knows where the goal is and Sam Allardyce’s friendship with Anelka seemed to pave a way for the Frenchman to join the Hammers.
Both clubs will now be in the market to add to their strikeforce before the Thursday night deadline.
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It didn’t take long for Liverpool loanee Andy Carroll to remind West Ham United fans what they’d been missing upon his recent return to the side.
Making what was only his first start since November following a knee injury, Carroll marked his return to Sam Allardyce’s team with a trademark-thumping header, in what turned out to be the winner during the Hammers’ 1-0 win over Swansea City.
Yet in doing so, not only did Carroll help end a drastically poor spell of form for his team, he also managed to put away his first goal of the calendar year – which coincidentally saw him double his tally for the Premier League season so far.
To look so sneeringly at Andy Carroll’s scoring record is of course offering an extremely superficial judgment on a season that’s been plagued by disruption and it’s worth noting that when the former Newcastle United man has played in between injuries, the team has generally tended to do quite well.
Sam Allardyce’s side have picked up 17 points in the 12 games that Carroll has featured in since making his loan move from Liverpool during the summer, with three of the five defeats coming against the likes of Spurs, Arsenal and Manchester United. While Carroll might not necessarily have been putting the goals away himself, the team certainly seems to benefit in his presence.
And that feeling of collective worth has generally been the positive theme that’s underwritten Carroll’s time in claret and blue, when he’s not been stuck on the treatment table.
Allardyce’s team don’t play with the sort of archaic one dimension that many would have them down as, although the ex-Bolton manager’s philosophy certainly verges on the pragmatic and Carroll has been the focal point of much that’s been good about West Ham term. He may not be making many personal gains, but his presence and physicality has opened plenty of doors for those around him.
Yet for all the positives that Carroll has brought to this side and for all the benefits that his teammates reap from his place in the starting line up, as a striker, his job first and foremost is to score goals. And he’s not done that consistently for over the best part of two years now.
You have to go back to when the 24-year-old was still wearing a Newcastle shirt for the last time he showed anything resembling a hot-streak in front of goal. His problems at Liverpool have been well documented but the school of thought was that once Carroll was placed within a set-up catered for his needs, the goals might start flowing again.
In Allardyce, Carroll has found a manager not just happy to cater to those needs but seemingly willing to build his side around him. Yet despite his aforementioned injury issues, even when he has been starting games, rarely has Carroll given the impression that he’s a man ready to make any drastic changes to his waning goal scoring record.
With 13 games left of the season to play, there’s adequate time for Carroll to start racking up a steady slew of goals and considering that the big England international was still someway short of match sharpness against Swansea, the fact he’s already netted upon his return to the side bodes well for supporters. But what happens in regards to his future at the end of the season remains somewhat hazy.
Sam Allardyce has made no secret of his desire to make Carroll’s loan spell at the club permanent but although it’s hard to imagine the striker going goalless from now until the end of the season, should he fail to pick up his goalscoring form, the club are going to be left in a difficult situation.
Despite recently acknowledging Carroll’s difficult season both with injury and front of goal, he recently stated his belief that a ‘settled future’ might have the ability to change all that. But with their first-refusal option from Liverpool reported to be just under the £17million mark, investing such a huge outlay on a player that could have been out of goalscoring form for nearly two-and-a-half years come the summer, could be a very big risk indeed.
Given his injury issues this year, you’d imagine there might be room for negotiation within West Ham’s option to buy the striker and Allardyce’s musings that signing the striker would be a ‘long process’ suggests that the club probably isn’t going to pay what still feels like a king’s ransom for the man who once cost £35million.
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For the player himself, too, the prospect of staying at West Ham past this season might not be quite the banker for success that some may think.
The effectiveness of Allardyce’s set-up when Carroll’s in the team isn’t in any doubt, but while it may suit the team as a whole, it might not necessarily be one that bears endless amount of fruit for the man at the centre of it. Carroll’s heading ability helps his teammates out in defence as much as it does to those running on to his knock-ons up front.
Although in a system that sees the England international often isolated high up the pitch on his own, it remains to be seen whether he’s really capable of frequently scoring within this Sam Allardyce-backed team. He’d certainly find a lot more in the way of attacking support up at Newcastle United, but it remains cloudy as to whether a move back to St. James’ Park is realistically feasible for all parties involved.
Either way, both club and player have some very pressing decisions to make come the end of the season. Andy Carroll’s form between now and May could play a big part in where he eventually ends up. But should he make a move to Upton Park stick this summer, you imagine all involved are going to have indulge in a little compromise.
This season has seen a monumental shift in power in North London. Whereas Arsenal have traditionally been considered to always have the edge on local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, this year the decline of the former and rise of the latter has lead to a role reversal, with the Gunners struggling to make it into the top four while Spurs sit pretty in third place in the Premier League table.
But next season, both clubs will be wanting to show their ambition and take the next step towards challenging for the Premiership title. Although Arsene Wenger and Andre Villas-Boas possess decent squads, they’ll still need some new recruits if they are to compete with the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea.
We’ve complied a list of ten candidates from all across Europe who could help both North London clubs push on next year and launch a bid to become Champions of England.
Click on Marco Reus to check out the ten players who could soon be making their way to North London in the next transfer window
Michael Owen today announced that he is set to retire from professional football at the end of this season.
In a statement released on his website, the 33-year-old striker said: “It is with an immense amount of pride that I am announcing my intention to retire from Professional Football at the end of this season.”
Owen, who has only appeared in six matches for Stoke City this season, is a far cry from the speedy striker that took the Premier League by storm in the late 1990s.
Owen made his professional debut with Liverpool at 17. Less than a year later, he made his international debut with England, becoming the youngest player to represent his country at the time. His astounding goal against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup is the most famous of his 40 goals scored during his 89 caps for England.
However, continuous hamstring injuries greatly deteriorated Owen’s effectiveness. After leaving Liverpool in 2004, he spent time with Real Madrid, Newcastle United, and Stoke City.
Owen’s statement expressed the utmost gratitude toward everyone who has helped him on the way. While thanking his family members, he paid special regards to his father Terry Owen: “From those freezing local parks to terrorising the best defenders in the World on the biggest stages of all. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Some more of his career highlights include: 2-time Premier League Golden Boot winner (1997-98 and 1998-99) and Ballon d’Or winner (2001).
Click on the man himself to see his career in pictures
Micah Richards could feature for Manchester City when Wigan visit on Wednesday after nearly six months on the sidelines.
Richards may be handed a place on the bench for the visit of the Latics following a knee injury that has seen him miss the majority of the campaign, with his last appearance coming in the win over Swansea at the end of October.
Maicon is available following illness and Jack Rodwell could also be involved following a hamstring problem but David Silva is expected to miss out with a similar injury.
City will contest the FA Cup final with Wigan in May but assistant boss David Platt insists his side will not treat Wednesday’s Premier League fixture as a warm-up for the Wembley showpiece.
“It is not a case of because we are playing them tonight we will know how to play them in the cup final. I don’t think it has any correlation whatsoever,” said Platt. “Each team has four or five games before then.”
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It was announced in the past fortnight that Arsenal could launch a bid to bring former Gunners captain Cesc Fabregas back to the Emirates. According to The Metro, the North London outfit have a £25million buy-back option, which could now be activated as speculation grows over the Spain international’s future at the Nou Camp, with Man United in particular sniffing around.
The midfielder may edge upon world-class, but he will be not enough alone to propel Arsenal back towards the Premier League title race, with solid additions required in all departments.
With that in mind, we look at the FIVE players from across Europe who could follow Cesc’s lead this summer and join up with the Gunners.
Click on Tim Krul to reveal the FIVE possible transfers to follow Cesc to Arsenal
The scope to criticise the Gunners this summer is becoming so vast that even Tottenham fans are getting bored of the customary once-per-day Arsenal-bashing articles that circulate almost every mainstream newspaper and the World Wide Web.
We are now just a matter of days away from the midpoint of the summer transfer window, and the Arsenal management are yet to fulfill their mid-to-late season promises of serious revamping at the Emirates, as the North London outfit look to reassert themselves in the Premier League title race.
But I would pledge, and prove me wrong if you can, that no squad has ever won the domestic title in England after coming fourth place the year previous, without changing a single member of playing personnel, which is the current situation at the Emirates, assuming that Arsenal’s one purchase of the summer, Yaya Sanogo, brought in on a free transfer from Ligue 2 side Auxerre, very much the human epitome of the Gunners transfer policy for the last decade, will rise from complete obscurity to rock the English top flight with a 30 goal haul next season.
I have my doubts, as do the vast majority of the Arsenal faithful. The £70million transfer kitty, rumoured to exist according to Arsene Wenger, is most likely in a sweaty gymbag, gathering rust and cobwebs somewhere under a desk in the backrooms of the Emirates, and has certainly not been put to good use as of yet this summer, and holes in the first team, most namely up front, in defensive midfield, at the heart of defense and in goal, are yet to be filled.
The Gunners gaffer continues to bear the brunt of the vast majority of criticism thrown Arsenal’s way. Perhaps that’s the ultimate responsibility that comes with the monolithic style of Wenger’s management, but there is little doubt Chief executive and Wenger ally Ivan Gazidis deserves his fair share of the negative limelight.
The South African-born businessman took over from Keith Edelman on January 1st 2009, whilst his new role as Chief Executive also incorporated the former duties of Vice Chairman David Dein, and in that time, the Gunners have failed to finish a Premier League season with more than 75 points, or higher than 3rd. Of course, it would be wrong to suggest Gazidis is the ultimate cause of Arsenal’s recent malaise, considering the last time they bettered such a league standing was 2004, but he has headed up the club’s transfers for the last four years – an area where the Gunners have hardly excelled.
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And in that time period, we’ve seen Arsenal’s three biggest stars leave the club for unsatisfactory fees, only to be replaced by unworthy understudies. Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri left the Emirates in the same transfer window, to Barcelona and Manchester City respectively, for a combined total of £50million, and last summer, Robin van Persie jumped ship to Manchester United as he stalled over a new contract, for £20million, a miserly sum considering the Dutchman’s efficiency in front of goal, and proven record in the Premier League. All have gone on to claim titles and auxiliary silverware since leaving North London, whilst the Gunners management have replaced them with second-rate counterparts of a similar mould. Every Arsenal acquisition throughout Gazidis’ tenure as Chief Executive has left the club worse off than it was previously, and they now look further off the title race than ever.
Yet again this summer, the Arsenal executive has failed to deliver on explicit promises. In May, coincidentally before the Gunners season tickets – the most expensively priced in the English top flight – came on sale, Gazidis gave his annual rousing speech, giving his word to the Arsenal faithful that the club’s ambitions were not limited to Champions League qualification and as a result, the North London outfit would be spending big this summer.
But the business man has already let ample business opportunities pass him by over the last two months, most notably, his failed pursuit of Gonzalo Higuain. At this point, it’s hard to tell fact from fiction with the Argentine’s transfer saga, but it was only a few weeks ago when it was reported that the Gunners were discussing a £23million deal with Real Madrid, with the striker on his way to London for a medical. Now however, Higuain is on Napoli’s doorstep, with a £32million fee already agreed; it’s not the price Gazidis was looking for, but we’ll never know what could have happened had he been more pro-active, rather than dither and haggle with Los Blancos over whether their for-sale forward was worth £19million, £21million or £25million.
Meanwhile, long-term target David Villa opted for a switch to Atletico Madrid, for just £5million, French prodigy Clement Grenier has signed a new contract with Lyon, despite the Gunners launching a £6million bid earlier in the season, potential stop-gap solution Jeremy Toulalan has joined Monaco for a pittance, and we are yet to see any movement on a host of players previously linked with a move to the Emirates, including Marouane Fellaini, Julio Cesar and Ashley Williams.
Similarly, the slow pace of their hunt for Luis Suarez is becoming tedious. Gazidis has headed bids of £30million, £35million and £40million plus £1, to trigger possibly the most irrelevant contract clause of all time, despite it being common knowledge that Liverpool are reluctant to sell, especially to a divisional rival, and will only be convinced by offers that exceed £50million, with Edinson Cavani’s move to PSG being this summer’s benchmark. Reds owner John W Henry’s twitter response – “What do you think they’re smoking over there at the Emirates?” – was an incredibly fitting reply.
And despite the potential Suarez deal currently being the most pressing matter on Arsenal fans’ minds, the South African couldn’t be further away from his base in London, or Anfield, as he’s currently riding the tour bus with the Gunners roster as they continue their pre-season schedule in Japan. Say what you want about Manchester United’s failed attempts to sign Leighton Baines and Cesc Fabregas so far this summer, but at least Ed Woodward has returned to England in the hope of getting some serious business underway.
Perhaps it’s wrong of me to suggest that the entirety of Arsenal’s transfer woes, this summer and those previous until 2009, can be attributed to the club’s Chief Executive; Arsene Wenger’s spendophobia has undoubtedly played an integral role. But Gazidis’ biggest crime throughout his tenure is his inability to challenge the Frenchman, despite Arsenal’s continual stagnation.
Rather than insisting Wenger’s transfer policy, which is yet to spawn a single purchase that exceeds the £20million mark, is too far adrift from Arsenal’s domestic rivals, or inform the Gunners gaffer that the club are letting numerous transfer targets slip into the hands of other Premier League or European clubs, or even go against the Frenchman and dish out competitive salaries to the club’s biggest stars, Gazidis has disturbingly toed the line throughout, despite the duties of his job tacitly implying that he should be doing otherwise.
My humble opinion on Arsene Wenger is not too kind. The Frenchman’s arrogance and insistence on his own ethos of how Arsenal should be run and play their football has held the club back since their last title win a decade ago. But there is no doubt that those closest to him, those whose purpose it is to keep Wenger accountable, have equally failed, and the biggest area of disappointment at the Emirates has by far and large been the transfer department.
Recently, Ivan Gazidis stated the Gunners board needed fresh blood, as Chairman Peter Hill-Wood stepped down for health reasons. Club legend Tony Adams applied, but instead, the role went to 73 year old Sir Chips Keswick, who has been on the board since 2005. It sums up how the Arsenal Executive talks a good game, but is yet to follow through with his actions.
Arsene Wenger will take the ultimate responsibility for the mess at the Emirates, but there are other guilty parties too, and one of them is Ivan Gazidis.
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Should Ivan Gazidis receive a fairer share of the blame at Arsenal?
The FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC) 2014 kicks off today, with the tournament set to come closer to the FIFA World Cup™ than ever before. The FIWC is now open to millions of competitors from all over the world who will be battling to secure one of 20 coveted places in the Grand Final of the event, which will be hosted in Rio de Janeiro during the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ by FIFA and Presenting Partners EA SPORTS™ and PlayStation®.
This will be the first time ever that the FIWC Grand Final has taken place in the Host Nation of the FIFA World Cup, adding an extra incentive for the eventual winner to be crowned world champion in the same country as the world’s best team in July 2014.
A ceremonial first game of the FIWC 14 tournament was played yesterday at the Maracana by Brazilian FIWC champion Andre Buffo, a past Grand Finalist, and 2014 FIFA World Cup Official Mascot Fuleco. FIFA World Cup Champion and 2014 FIFA World Cup LOC Board Member Ronaldo also sent a good-luck message to all FIWC competitors:
“To be crowned a FIFA World Champion is an incredibly special moment” said Ronaldo, who scored the winning goals in the Final of the 2002 FIFA World Cup™. “Usually this honour is limited to the very best professional football players. I think it’s fantastic that the FIFA Interactive World Cup makes that dream a possibility for football fans all over the world and I’m looking forward to experiencing the event next year in Rio”.
Last year’s edition of the tournament attracted more than 2.5 million competitors from across the globe, climaxing in Madrid where French star Bruce ‘the machine’ Grannec secured his World Champion title as well as 20,000 USD and the chance to meet the world’s greatest football players as a special guest at the FIFA Ballon d’Or in January.
Qualification for this year’s event will take place over six separate 1-month-long seasons. In keeping with the tradition of previous editions, the top two online players from each season will qualify for the Grand Final. Additionally, for the first time in FIWC history, a third ‘best-placed’ qualification spot will be handed out every season to the player deemed the winner of the Community Qualifier. This new online format ensures that the FIWC Grand Final is more accessible than ever before and emphasizes quality of online games over quantity. FIWC Players are awarded a win/lose ratio based on a minimum of 30 games played over an online season. The player with the best win/lose ratio at the end of a season wins the Community Qualifier seat.
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In addition to the 20 Grand Final participants, FIFA and PlayStation will also be offering other competitors the opportunity to travel to Brazil, experience the FIWC Grand Final and watch one of the FIFA World Cup™ matches live in the stadium. For more information on the FIWC and to become part of the FIWC community please visit www.fifa.com/fiwc andwww.facebook.com/fiwc or follow the event on Twitter @FIWC.
You can understand Arsene Wenger’s dislike, perhaps even disdain for the January transfer window. With it comes a mountain of expectation to spend, yet without any real concern for the quality being purchased.
Some have labelled it stubbornness to proceed with what he has, using those acquired during the summer window as his only buys of each particular season. But is it so stubborn, with considerations for the economic climate and the impeding rules set by UEFA, for Wenger to ignore over-priced yet under-skilled players for his Arsenal team?
Following Nicklas Bendtner’s goal in the 2-0 win over Hull last week, the immediate feeling within the club was that Wenger would persevere with what he had and properly strengthen in the summer. Problem? Well yes and no. The issue is that Arsenal, in a very good position to land a major piece of silverware this season, do need reinforcements. At least that’s the general consensus from those on the outside looking in. The second problem that clashes with the first is that January is hardly ever the time to buy top class players.
Luis Suarez may have been bought by Liverpool in the January window, but the Uruguayan is an exception to the rule. Further examples are that of Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra going to Manchester United midway through a season. However, both were brought in with views to the long term. Evra hardly had the best of times in those initial months in English football.
It’s not to say it can’t be done, it’s more to say that it’s exceedingly difficult. Karim Benzema may have been a high-end striker on the market next month, but the Frenchman has returned to form at Real Madrid, who may just decide now to hang onto him until the summer. Robert Lewandowski, of whom there is no doubt about his quality, will not move in January. Dortmund had the chance to sell and pocket a profit on the Pole in the summer, but they were clear in their message that they would not succumb to pressure from either the player or Bayern Munich. Why, then, would they sell in January?
The thing is Arsenal’s “depth problem” has been blown massively out of proportion. This is a club who are perennially hit by the injury bug – or plague, as is more fitting. But those who wish to discredit Wenger’s side for their credentials in this season’s title race have done so without any mention of Lukas Podolski, an international forward who is capable of playing through the middle, and Theo Walcott, who has just returned from long-term injury and who had the most purple of purple patches in an Arsenal shirt at centre-forward last season. What does that amount to? Four strikers at Wenger’s disposal. The issue is of quality, not of quantity.
Wenger will no doubt feel the heat from certain sections of the Arsenal support if he chooses not to buy in January – and I’m speaking specifically of a centre-forward. At Schalke, Julian Draxler may be the next high-profile signing for Arsenal. The German club have just secured Sidney Sam from Bayer Leverkusen, though with the transfer taking place in the summer, so further logs have been thrown onto that particular transfer fire. But it would be understandable if Wenger didn’t bring in the marquee striker so many are calling out for. Of course, the solution was to buy one last summer, whether it was shelling out an extra £10 million on Gonzalo Higuain or closing the deal on Stevan Jovetic. But importantly, Arsenal are not, at present, in crucial need of another striker in January.
The other issue is the World Cup in the summer. Not only will players not want to disrupt their preparations ahead of such an important tournament, but also think of the number of players who will become available during the summer window. First there are the players who rise to fame during the tournament in Brazil, but also those who they may be replacing at other clubs around Europe. The time to strengthen properly and with a player who is deemed a first-choice target is the summer, not in January, when few of required skill are available. Remember when Arsenal were linked with Mohamed Diame last January? In January, instead of getting a Karim Benzema, you get a Bafe Gomis; next summer, players like Mario Mandzukic will be available.
So what can Wenger do in January? The problem may not be numbers, but the team are likely to need a boost of confidence to get them over the line. A loan signing is an option. It’s hugely unlikely that Chelsea will buckle next month and loan Demba Ba to Arsenal after declining on that very deal in the summer. What about a younger, unknown player from one of the “lesser” leagues around Europe? The difficulty, though, is in finding a player who fits that description but who is also able to make a contribution this season. Finally, there’s the “Henrik Larsson move.” Manchester United brought in the Swedish veteran to aid in their title bid in 2007. It was a short-term, low-cost move that paid off. Arsenal could pursue something similar next month to help get them through to the summer.
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With Podolski on his way back and Walcott and Bendtner offering alternatives, there are options in house for Wenger. But despite the boost that the team and fans will get with a new face in January, I wouldn’t begrudge or bemoan Wenger’s decision to stick with what he has.
It’s not stubbornness. Considering the pressures of modern football, you have to praise the manager who chooses to avoid the costly, quick-fix option just to appease others.
Manchester City made easy work of the Hammers in the first-leg as they ran out comfortably 6-0 winners at the Etihad Stadium.
The result means City have all but booked their place in the Capital One Cup Final, with the Hammers needing to pull off the one of the biggest comebacks in sporting history to have any chance of making it to Wembley in February.
But if they are to do that, they’ll need to at least match City’s superstars on the Upton Park turf, and even then it may not be enough to overturn a six-goal deficit.
Here are three key battles to look out for at Upton Park in the second-leg.
Mark Noble v Fernandinho
Mark Noble has been one of West Ham’s only consistent performers this season and was instrumental in their 2-0 Premier League victory at Cardiff City.
His love for the club shines through whenever he plays and he’s always found getting stuck in all over the pitch, winning tackles and driving the team forward.
Fernandinho has perhaps been one of City’s quieter performers this season, but that’s not to say he hasn’t performed at all.
And with Samir Nasri now sidelined for up to eight weeks with a ligament injury, the Brazilian will be called upon more often to keep City’s engine room ticking, starting with their trip to Upton Park.
Stewart Downing v Gael Clichy
As one of West Ham’s most experienced players, Downing’s responsibilities have grown somewhat since the Hammers began freefalling in the Premier League and getting beaten in cup competitions.
That said, his ability to whip a good cross in is second to none and, if he can get the better of Clichy on the night then his service will be very difficult to contain, particularly with West Ham’s ever improving forward line.
Clichy’s pace will arguably be key here, with Downing being the quickest of the wingers, his job will be to contain Downing and to show him as far wide as possible, closing down the angles.
Andy Carroll v Vincent Kompany
Having made his long awaited return from injury against Cardiff last weekend, Carroll is expected to be used as Sam Allardyce’s focal point for the remainder of the season, providing he stays fit.
With the England striker in the side, West Ham are a completely different team. His ability to hold up play, as well as his eye for goal, is outstanding and he’ll be looking to make an impact in the second leg as a way of making up for lost time.
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Kompany didn’t have a lot to do in the first leg as City ran riot, limiting the Hammers to just a couple of long-range attempts on goal. But he’ll have a busier night with Andy Carroll standing next to him and will have to nullify the England man’s threat early on, just as he’s used to doing most of the time, if City are to keep a clean sheet.