The circus that is the January transfer window is coming to a Premier League club near you. Whatever my thoughts are on the window, they can be put aside for the excitement the month of January gives. This one is like no other. Players have declared they are leaving, and it looks like most clubs will do business. Clubs are looking to move players on to finance bringing in new players. Without a doubt it will be exciting for everyone. We look at 10 players that are set to leave their clubs and either move to the Premier League or stay in it. Some of these players have expressed their intentions to leave their clubs and some have had little chance to show what they can do. Here is our 10 most wanted of the January transfer window….
Click on image below to see the TOP TEN
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There wasn’t much love lost between Tottenham and Newcastle in their Premier League encounter at White Hart Lane this week. Joey Barton was at the centre of many unrepeatable chants from the Spurs fans, while Younes Kaboul was dismissed for his ill-advised headbutt. However, it seems that two players did get up close and personal, as here’s Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes whispering sweet nothings to Newcastle’s Andy Carroll, but what is the Spurs ‘keeper saying?
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Gerard Houllier’s rivalry with Sir Alex Ferguson resumes as Aston Villa make the trip to Manchester United on Tuesday.
Frenchman Houllier has overseen Premier League victories over the Red Devils manager on five occasions, all of which came during his tenure as Liverpool boss from 1998 to 2004.
It is a record bettered only by Houllier’s compatriot Arsene Wenger, who has led Arsenal to nine league wins against Ferguson’s side, the most of any manager.
But while Houllier’s personal record against the most successful team in Premier League history is solid, Villa’s is anything but. The Midlands club have claimed a solitary win from their last 30 league clashes against United.
It is a dismal record that Houllier’s men were on the verge of improving when the sides last met, only for them to throw away a two-goal lead in the final 10 minutes as United limped away from Villa Park with a 2-2 draw in November.
After overcoming recent struggles that resulted in a brief stint in the relegation zone, Villa have recorded three straight victories in all competitions and will take growing belief with them to Old Trafford.
The forward combination of Gabriel Agbonlahor and new signing Darren Bent will be integral if they are to claim the unlikely three points, particularly given that Agbonlahor has been a constant source of goals against the Red Devils – the speedy striker has netted four of his side’s past eight goals against Ferguson’s men.
However, table-topping United are a daunting prospect at home, where they have won their last eight league games.
Undefeated in the league this season and sitting five points clear of second-place Arsenal, Ferguson’s side are primed to claim their 12th title under the long-serving Scotsman since the inauguration of the Premier League in 1993.
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They will be heavy favourites to account for Villa, but may need to get by with a makeshift defence, as Rafael (concussion) and Rio Ferdinand (groin) are both in doubt.
Midfielder Michael Carrick may return following an ankle injury, while Patrice Evra will return to boost Ferguson’s dwindling defensive stocks after missing Saturday’s 2-1 FA Cup win over Southampton because of a family bereavement.
Houllier will have the majority of his squad to choose from for the trip to the North West, with Fabian Delph and Stephen Ireland, both battling knee problems, the only absentees.
Bolton have put in a number of stuttering performances since they faced today’s opposition over the festive period. In truth, the Trotters were unlucky to leave Stamford Bridge empty handed; Florent Malouda’s late strike had more than a hint of offside about it, and will be determined to take something out of this clash at the Reebok.
Chelsea missed out on the signing of Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar this week, and with little over a week left of the transfer window the Blues have yet to bolster a very fragile squad. Unless there is a hive of activity over the next few days, the outgoing champions may well have a great deal of heartache ahead of them this season.
The Reebok will be an emotional place on Monday night. It is the club’s first game since Bolton and England striker Nat Lofthouse passed away last weekend, and I am sure the atmosphere will be special. The fans will want a win to celebrate the great man’s memory, and I fancy they might just get it.
Prediction: 1-0
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Borussia Dortmund will host Schalke on Friday hoping to extend their already sizable lead atop the Bundesliga table to 14 points.
The league leaders have lost just once at their Westfalenstadion fortress this campaign – a 2-0 loss to second-placed Bayer Leverkusen in August – and are favourites to account for the 11th-placed side on the table on Friday.
Dortmund will take some tracking down in the second half of the season, even allowing for the long-term foot injury sustained by attacker Shinji Kagawa while on international duty with Japan at January’s Asian Cup.
Relegation-threatened Cologne face third-placed Bayern Munich on Saturday at RheinEnergieStadion, with the visitors aiming to extend their nine-game unbeaten streak in all competitions.
Tenth-placed Nuremberg are preparing to take on Bayer Leverkusen off the back of a morale-lifting 2-0 victory over Hamburg last Saturday, in which Israel midfielder Almog Cohen scored his first league goal for the club.
Despite lying in fifth place, Hannover have lost three of their past four league games but will be eyeing a return to form when they face lowly Wolfsburg, who have won just five games in 20 this league campaign under English manager Steve McLaren.
But Hannover will need to be wary of Wolfsburg’s new signings, bought with the funds raised from the sale of star striker Edin Dzeko to Manchester City.
McLaren added forward trio Patrick Helmes (Bayer Leverkusen), Tuncay Sanli (Stoke City) and Dieumerci Mbokani (Monaco) in a bid to bolster his firepower, also signing Anderlecht midfield enforcer Jan Polak, South Korea international Koo Ja-Cheol and Venezuelan prospect Yohandry Orozco.
Hoffenheim have the opportunity to back up their victory over Schalke last time out – their first since December 21 – when they host Kaiserslautern on Saturday, with the visitors bidding to avoid their third loss in succession.
Borussia Moenchengladbach host a bottom-of-the-table clash against Stuttgart, the loser of which will fill bottom spot on the table.
But the hosts have won two of their past three games and are hoping to continue their run to escape last place.
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Fourth-placed Mainz can deepen the woes of Werder Bremen on Saturday when the two sides clash at the Stadion am Bruchweg, with last campaign’s third-placed side languishing in 15th this term.
On Sunday, Hamburg host St Pauli, having seen their five-match winning streak broken by Nuremberg in their last start.
Sixth-placed Freiburg are targeting a seventh match unbeaten when they welcome Eintracht Frankfurt to the Badenova Stadion.
Louis van Gaal has dismissed comparisons with the 2010 Champions League final when his Bayern Munich side meets Inter Milan on Wednesday.The two clubs squared off in last season’s decider, with Serie A champions Inter emerging 2-0 winners at Madrid’s Bernabeu arena.They meet again in the first leg of a round-of-16 tie in the same competition on Wednesday at the San Siro, but van Gaal has denied retribution was in the forefront of his mind going into the match.”For me, this match is not comparable to last year’s final,” he said.”And I also think our team has changed. Six or seven players are not there anymore and we are playing with a different line up. It might be still in the heads of some players, but for me it doesn’t matter.””If they are playing for Bayern Munich they have to know that we always have to win. But we don’t always succeed. And that is part of the sport.”But despite Bayern’s altered side, the Dutchman is confident he knows what to expect from Inter: “I don’t think Inter has changed that much. A few players are injured. (Diego) Milito is injured. Lucio is or has been injured. All the players are still there and they have signed a few more, so I don’t think Inter has changed a great deal,” he said.”The manager has changed, not only once, but twice. And that is probably their biggest change.”
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini is already relishing the prospect of an FA Cup semi-final derby with Manchester United.The bitter rivals are set to meet at Wembley in April after a sluggish City defeated Championship outfit Reading 1-0 in Sunday’s quarter-final.Micah Richards ensured City’s progression to the last four with a precise header from David Silva’s corner kick in the 74th minute.It was a rare moment of dominance for the top-flight side, who were clearly worn out from their trip to Dynamo Kiev in the Europa League on Thursday.Mancini was nevertheless thrilled with the victory; though he admitted City have a massive challenge on their hands facing United.”It is a great semi-final,” said City manager Manicni. “You could see what it meant to the fans at the end.””We are not fresh or 100 per cent at this moment but we deserved to win. We had 17 attempts on goal.””We are very close with all the top squads but we need to improve more and maybe next year we will be at the same level.””But it is important that we played a good game at Old Trafford last time and we have a chance to win, like them.”United have already beaten their cross-town rivals 2-1 in the Premier League this season, a game made famous by Wayne Rooney’s astonishing overhead kick winner. Reading boss Brian McDermott admitted he was contemplating a draw as the second half was playing out, and was gutted by Richards’ winning header just 16 minutes from time.”I thought we were going to get at least a draw,” McDermott said.”We pushed Manchester City a long way and if Tevez had beaten five and Silva had produced a piece of magic it would have been a bit different. But to lose at a set play was galling.””You could see what it meant to them the way they celebrated at the end.””Unfortunately, you are not going to get the semi-final everyone wanted; Manchester United versus Reading.”
Wayne Rooney scored a memorable hat-trick to help Manchester United record a 4-2 comeback victory over West Ham on Saturday.Two penalties from Mark Noble in the first half put West Ham 2-0 up at half-time, but United refused to lie down and Rooney stole all the headlines with his second half hat-trick.
West Ham opened the scoring after Carlton Cole broke clear of the United defence and attempted to lift the ball over Patrice Evra but the French defender clearly handled the ball inside the box.
Referee Lee Mason pointed straight to the spot and Noble made no mistake sending Tomasz Kuszczak the wrong way from the penalty kick.
The hosts at Upton Park were awarded their second penalty of the game on 25 minutes when Nemanja Vidic was adjudged to have brought down Cole inside the area.
Noble kept his nerve and struck the penalty into the top right hand corner to make it a dream start for the home side.
Ferguson knew he needed to take drastic action and brought on Javier Hernandez at half-time to replace Patrice Evra.
Hernandez almost scored with his first touch when he volleyed a cross from Ryan Giggs just over the bar.
But United showed the true signs of champions when their amazing comeback started on 65 minutes when Rooney curled a free-kick past Green into the back of the net to start the revival.
The visitors were back on level terms just eight minutes later when Antonio Valencia played the ball into Rooney who combined a great first touch with a clinical finish past Robert Green.
Mason awarded the third spot kick of the game on 79 minutes after Fabio da Silva wove into the penalty area and struck the ball against West Ham captain Matthew Upson.
Rooney sent Green the wrong way from the penalty spot to celebrate his hat-trick and complete the comeback for the league leaders.
United sealed all three points on 84 minutes when Ryan Giggs’ cross into the box was tapped in by Hernandez at the far post.
Liverpool failed to beat Braga at Anfield on Thursday night. Their 0-0 draw was not enough to keep them in the UEFA Cup. Braga employed many tactics to delay the game and slow down the procedure but in truth they defended in an organised fashion. Kenny Dalglish lamented, at the end of the game, that his side lacked creativity.
This creative problem should be resolved by a change in style, not by a change in players. You cannot solve every problem by buying a different player.
Last night was also Andy Carroll’s first start and I think Liverpool suffered the ‘curse of the tall striker’. Sometimes when a tall striker plays, midfielders choose to play direct instead of keeping the ball on the floor. Even if they are instructed not to, when a player is under pressure, it is easier to hoist it up and try and land it on Carroll’s head rather than look for a pass. Liverpool players, even the experienced Jamie Carragher, were guilty of this last night.
I think Liverpool did lack a creative edge last night, but that is because they were lazy on the ball. They did not work hard enough to keep possession and work the ball into an offensive position, they instead tried to get the ball up the pitch via Andy Carroll’s chest or head.
It is a testament to the passing ability of the likes of Joey Barton, that Newcastle got the best out of Carroll. They created opportunities where they could play an accurate pass to Carroll in a good position, rather than just using him as an outlet and a first option. This is the way to best exploit his aerial ability; put balls into the box where he can attack. Not by going straight from defence to attack with a long ball.
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This is a problem that other tall strikers suffer from. Peter Crouch is a player that will always stand out on the pitch. Players see him up the field and think a long ball is the right option. Sometimes having a tall player can be detrimental to a side’s passing game. And it is not the fault of the striker. Players like Crouch and Carroll are not so one-dimensional target men, they can play with their feet too. So I’m not blaming Andy Carroll. I blame a manager who tells his players to look for the long ball and the players who resort to it.
I don’t know what Dalglish’s plan was before the game against Braga, but in his defence, it takes a while for a side to get used to using such a big striker. Newcastle had the luxury of doing this in the Championship, where they were rarely put under pressure. It will take Liverpool time to adjust to having such a big target to aim at. They must be disciplined and continue to play the same way as they would if he was not playing. This will come with time. Liverpool have just invested in new players and it will take time for them to gel. Someone like Andy Carroll will take longer than most.
I have heard Liverpool fans bemoan a lack of creative players in their team. But it is too soon to call for new signings. Kuyt, Lucas, Poulsen and Maxi hardly set the world on fire, and I admit that. But Liverpool missed their two most creative players last night, Gerrard and Suarez. Rather than demanding a change in personnel, Liverpool fans should be patient and have faith, both in their current squad, and Andy Carroll.
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To keep an eye on Liverpool’s and Carroll’s development, you can follow Joe on twitter @joeasutin8
One man who might be playing alongside Andy Carroll at Liverpool soon is starlet Conor Coady…
Arsenal and Barcelona have been getting to know each other quite well recently, what with their four encounters in the last two seasons’ Champions League knock out phases. Arsenal must be sick of the sight of the Catalan giants stunting any ambitions they have of Champions League success. However, Arsenal seem to have come up with an ingenious way of getting their own back. The clever ploy, which Arsenal first exploited in 2003 with the capture of a certain Cesc Fabregas, is poaching Barcelona’s brightest young talents before they have even stepped out of the gates of La Masia (Barcelona’s football academy). In addition to Fabregas, Arsenal have signed Fran Merida, now with Atletico Madrid, Ignasi Miquel and Jon Miguel Toral Harper who will join at the end of the season. Arsenal are also tracking 15 year old Xavi Quintilla. These youngsters have all been schooled through Barcelona’s renowned youth set up and Arsenal seem to be reaping the benefits.
This hardly seems fair does it? Whatever your take on the situation, Arsenal can quite rightly point out, that they aren’t breaking any codes of conduct or laws with these signings. The youngsters can’t sign professional contracts in Spain until they are 18 years old, so all Arsenal have to do is pay a small compensation fee to Barca. Arsenal have the luxury in this country of being able to open negotiations with players under the age of 18, as the age a player can sign a professional contract is 16. Unsurprisingly, Barcelona have been left incensed by the loss of their future starlets and Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has branded Arsenal’s recent acquisition of Toral Harper as “legal but immoral”. Do Barcelona have grounds to feel aggrieved? In my view they certainly do, but as long as this loophole remains Spanish clubs are left wide open to lose their best young players. However, if the opportunity is there for teams like Arsenal to legally sign quality players, some would argue, immoral or not, why would they turn this chance down?
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Arsenal fans will be quick to point out in their defence that Barcelona have acted just as immorally over the last two years in their pursuit of their skipper, Cesc Fabregas. Fabregas’ future has been the constant subject of speculation and it’s common knowledge that Barcelona registered substantial bids for the Spanish International on more than one occasion. Fabregas is under contract with Arsenal and knowing his services are wanted by his boyhood club has unsettled him. Arsenal will quite rightfully suggest that while Fabregas is under contract with them, Barca’s constant barracking of their player surely carries more deceit than their legal purchase of Barca’s youth players. If this is true or not is of course a matter of opinion.
Arsenal and Barcelona relations have slowly deteriorated ever since the Gunners snapped up Fabregas, and with the recent signing of Toral Harper and the ongoing feud over Fabregas’ future it doesn’t show any signs of relenting. This situation will have many divided opinions on who is in the right and wrong. It is rumoured that Toral Harper had no intention on signing a contract with Barcelona anyway, so in the light of this does it make Arsenal’s approach any less immoral? To add more irons to the fire Toral Harper’s agent, who engineered the move, is Barcelona manager Pepe Guardiola’s brother!
The whole situation is something that clearly needs addressing by the governing bodies. I’m quite shocked there has not been a ruling implemented by FIFA before now. It doesn’t seem right to me that a player who is coached from a child through a club’s development system can just be plucked by another team as they begin to prosper. However, the feasibility to sanction any ruling as a result of the laws in place in each country is something that will prove decisive.
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