Transfer stories and links seem to never cease, and no sooner than the January transfer window slams shut, talk of summer moves set into motion. Whether it be players looking to escape their surroundings, make the next step up in their career or simply looking to remain employed, rumours surround men from almost every club.
It may be an exciting time for the fans, but for managers and their back-room staff the transfer window presents much worry and stress, with the pressure of finding the right player at the right price to secure pre-season aims and keep the chairman off of their back. Beginning preparation early ensures that the targets are identified with lots of time to thrash out the deal before the end of the window, because as we all know, panic buying can often work out as the worst strategy possible.
Here is a list of ten players who, for various reasons, will most likely be the subject of interest and bids this summer, as clubs across the league look to build for the 2012/13 season.
Click on Moussa Dembele to unveil the top 10
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‘I disagree with people when they say football is a sport. When the Sky (TV) money came in, that changed. Football is a business’. The recent admission from the former Manchester United and England captain Bryan Robson during an undercover meeting may have come as a shock to some, but to most, isn’t it something we already knew ?
For those who don’t know, or didn’t see the program, Channel 4’s ‘Dispatches’ documentary recently went undercover, posing as wealthy businessmen on the look-out to buy an English club. They met a group in Thailand, which Bryan Robson was a part of, and openly discussed the possibility of buying two clubs (which is illegal) and how they would circumnavigate the laws to achieve this. Robson was secretly filmed discussing this in the meeting, and openly talking about how his links to a certain Premier League club and other managers, would help call in ‘favours’ and loans, to build-up their newly acquired teams. They also stated they were not in it for the long-term – just looking to buy the club’s cheap, gain promotion, make a massive profit, then get out. It was when queried on the moral issues surrounding such a takeover that Robson gave the above statement.
Are many of us still naive to think that the people who invest billions into our clubs will not want the maximum return possible out of their investments, and do everything they can in trying to achieve such things? That is exactly how the business world works. However, we are talking about football – a sport. Our ‘beautiful game’ that means so much to so many, world-wide. To have our beloved club’s bandied around like toys by these rich businessmen, is not a nice thought for any passionate supporter.
Of course, the huge money invested in today’s football has changed many things for the better. The way the sport is brought to us (so-called ‘expert’ pundits aside), seemingly 24 hours a day through every kind of media possible. Clubs have better stadiums, better training facilities, better injury care, the list goes on and on. But is the most important thing any better; the actual football? Sky TV would have you believe so, but that’s another debate.
Utilising loopholes and creating deals to advance is nothing new and has been going on for years within football clubs. The difference today is that the clubs are now viewed as businesses – loopholes and deals are now used with the end purpose of creating the maximum profit; the business philosophy. Not for the end purpose of trying to make the club the best it can be; the sporting philosophy. With such large amounts of money available in the game, many an individual’s integrity is put to this test. The power to ‘influence’ sporting decisions (illegal or otherwise) has been around for some time, but in today’s game nothing attains influence greater than money.
Whilst Robson’s opinion may well be right, looking to underhandedly capitalise on the sorry state of affairs and cash-in, is disgraceful. Two wrongs don’t make a right eh Bryan?
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Fenerbahce’s Emre Belozoglu is required to testify as a suspect in the ongoing investigation into match-fixing in Turkish football.According to Turkish publication Zamen, the former Newcastle and Inter Milan midfielder will be forced to answer questions on allegations that he sent a series of text messages to Ankaragucu defender Kagan Soylemezgiller before the two clubs met in the last match of the season in May.
The messages are reported to have said: “Don’t let my president (Aziz Yildirim) be angry. Don’t play your best game.”
But the Fenerbahce club captain has denied those suggestions, with the messages supposedly sent by the Ahmet Bulut – business partner of his agent Ekrem Okumus – with the approval of the player.
Emre has also been accused of promising a number of Ankaragucu players that he would help them secure a move to Fenerbahce if they did not play in the fixture.
The midfielder’s most recent appearance in front of the media came on Monday, where he admitted the national team was struggling to focus on their Euro 2012 qualifiers with the saga hanging over their heads.
If Emre is found guilty he may join Fenerbahce patron Yildirim and Besiktas coach Tayfur Havutcu in being arrested.
Eden Hazard’s protracted transfer to the Premier League may be to Chelsea’s gain but his behaviour on twitter has highlighted the ever changing nature of modern day footballers.
The Belgian is this summer’s blockbuster signing and has attracted the attention of Europe’s top sides but his constant indecisiveness has led to fans questioning his integrity. Should professional footballers really be allowed to arrogantly flirt with every club under the sun?
The latest is Hazard has apparently signed for Chelsea, something the club are yet to officially confirm, but he’s previously claimed his future lies in Manchester be it City or United and he even suggested Tottenham Hotspur back in February. No doubt his agent works hard behind the scenes to facilitate any potential deals but Hazard has decimated any form of confidentiality by using social media to publicise details. It’s led to continued speculation over his eventual destination and is fuelled by his ambiguity.
The increasing popularity of social media has given footballers an outlet to express their thoughts and opinions directly to their followers. It can be a useful tool in narrowing the gap between celebrity and Joe Public but has led to players over stepping the bounds.
Hazard has used his account to court various teams. He claims he’s joining one then circumstances change and he wants to join another. Like a kid in a candy store he’s clearly thrilled by having to choose between so many exciting options but until Lille agree a fee and a team actually offers him terms, is it right that he can openly tease fans with possible outcomes while unable to confirm anything?
Twitter seems to be Hazard’s preferred method of self promotion and the latest trend to consume the internet has led to people debating its value in today’s society. Arsene Wenger was unmoved.
“It can be very good and very bad. If it can be a positive image of the club [that’s OK], it also can be bad,”
The Arsenal manager has a point. No one minds hearing what their favourite player had for breakfast but controversial topics often rear their ugly head. West Ham’s Danny Gabbidon was charged by the FA for a Tweet aimed at Hammers fans after they lost to Bolton. He wrote:
“U know what, f**k the lot of you, u will never get another tweet from me again, you just don’t get it do you. Bye bye”.
It’s something the governing bodies will have to deal with as social media becomes more widespread. Fans love to hear what their beloved stars are doing but as more and more clubs are finding out, there must be guidelines in place to limit the amount of sensitive information being discussed. As a recently invented saying goes, ‘twitter doesn’t kill people; people kill people’. If users are sensible they can create a positive forum for their followers but if they use their account unwisely they can easily cause offence and risk the wrath of their superiors and also the public.
Most fans will agree that players are arrogant and self promoting. They pimp their rides with bling and lead celebrity lifestyles that reaffirm their egotistical superiority. It’s not necessarily a criticism for their confidence plays a major role in their successful careers but it means they must be responsible when given a mouthpiece to the world. Darren Bent illustrated how important is is for players to have boundaries when he publicly criticised Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy and forced a move Sunderland. The England forward wrote:
“Seriously getting p***** off now. Why can’t anything be simple? It’s so frustrating hanging round doing jack s***.
“Do I wanna go Hull City NO. Do I wanna go Stoke NO do I wanna go Sunderland YES so stop f****** around, Levy. Sunderland are not the problem in the slightest.”
Bent was reprimanded by Tottenham for disrespecting his superior but the topic was already in the public eye and he eventually moved to the Stadium of Light. It may be understandable that the striker felt frustrated by a long-drawn-out transfer but is spitting the dummy out the best way to keep fans informed? How are Hull and Stoke meant to react to an unprovoked attack?
As flattering as it must be to have a host of teams chasing your signature, it doesn’t warrant the arrogant way players try to tempt prospective buyers. Sadly it illustrates an ever increasing shift in player power that if left unmonitored will lead to social media becoming an unrestricted voice of football.
Players like Bent and Hazard may argue they’re merely keeping followers informed but their comments actually affected their transfers. After all Bent got his preferred move and Hazard opened the door to Chelsea once he knew they’d qualified for the Champions League. It allows players to dictate their futures and has given them more control than the clubs holding their contracts.
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Some clubs are starting to police their players social media antics in order to pre empt controversy but currently there are no rules to stop players saying whatever they like. Clearly they need to be censored or fans will lose patience with players like the Belgian boy who keeps crying wolf.
Do you think players should be banned from using twitter? Does social media improve the relationship between players fans? Should it be monitored by an authority?
Let me know your views and opinions by following me on twitter – Tweet me@Alex_Churcher
After Liverpool midfielder Raul Meireles’s goal scoring exploits in January and February, there was justifiable praise for the Portuguese international’s performances. He scored some important goals in the Merseyside Derby against Everton as well as the winning goal against Chelsea away from home. After not scoring at all since his arrival from Porto in the summer, his goal against our Merseyside rivals was a start of a hot streak in front of goal which got many praising his contribution to the team.
Since then however, many Reds fans have noticed that the Portuguese star has gone off the boil slightly. Considering Meireles has never been a prolific goalscorer in his career, he was never going to become a 15 goal a season man overnight despite his good form in front of goal, but it has led some to ask what else does he contribute to the team other than goals?
I have heard suggestions that as he doesn’t tackle as well as the best defensive midfielders, or pass as well as Xabi Alonso used tp, he might not be as useful as some have stated over the past couple of months. I disagree with this assessment though as Raul has one fantastic attribute which will hold him in good stead for his entire Anfield career: his ability to make forward runs.
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You may say, well doesn’t every midfielder make forward runs? Well, no. Although there are many midfielders who like distributing the ball from deep with their passing range, or to run at opposition defenders with the ball, the ability to make a perfectly timed run from deep to carve open an opposition defence is a fine art, and Raul just has that knack. He will never control the midfield area with his passing range or go in with crunching tackles but he will always be a threat around the opposition penalty box.
Useful one-two passes, runs late into the box, venomous long range shots; he is in many ways similar to Steven Gerrard and it has caused a problem all season in my opinion as to where to play the pair. It hasn’t always been a problem this campaign as both have had injuries but when both are fit, Dalglish has tended to play Gerrard deeper while Meireles has played more advanced. Of course, this is when both players have played centrally as Meireles has invariably been moved wide right, and even wide left against Sunderland to ensure the midfield has enough midfield bite.
Especially with the return to fitness of both Suarez and Carroll, the temptation will be to play them as a pairing, leaving one less place in midfield. Against Sunderland, Meireles was moved wide left so he could be accommodated into a 4 man midfield, but he was noticeably less effective. The question in the long run will certainly be how to fit Gerrard, Suarez, Carroll and Meireles into the team without sacrificing their best attributes. The problem may become especially apparent if, as expected, Kenny Dalglish looks for wingers in the summer
I am big fan of Meireles and believe he will only get better with every game as he slowly adapts to the Premier League in his first year. We may begin to see the best of him next season, but the question remains that if he doesn’t play in the position that bests suits him, as an attacking central midfielder, will we actually see him at his best?
Read more of David’s articles at Live4Liverpool
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With the introduction of the Bosman ruling and the financial difficulties many teams found themselves in over recent years, a swathe of footballers have found themselves on the football scrapheap once their contracts expired.In the Premier League this hasn’t been a problem with the oceans of cash swimming around, but with the introduction of the Financial Fair Play rules by UEFA this summer meaning clubs have to balance their books and the requirement of a 25-man squad, footballers leaving Premiership clubs this summer might find it harder than usual to walk into employment.This week Aston Villa announced a whole raft of players to be released. Most notably for me was Nigel Reo-Coker. After a highly disappointing spell at Villa you would expect plenty of teams to take a chance on him, especially perhaps one of the promoted teams. However, if he is on a wefty wage, it could prove a problem for him, and a host of others. Also being released by Villa is a certain John Carew, and Robert Pires too. They have the advantage of course of not carrying a transfer fee with them if purchased, but with signing on fees, agent fees and wages, it can still be a risky acquisition for anyone to buy someone on a Bosman signing. Brad Friedel is on his way too, aged 40, but has already reportedly attracted the attention of Liverpool and Spurs.Relegated teams are the ones that often have to release the most players, as the financial implications of Championship football begin to hit home. Birmingham have released Kevin Phillips, who will struggle at his age to play at such a high level again. Also released are Sebastian Larsson and Lee Bowyer, who should find employment easily enough, much like Stoke’s Abdoulaye Faye.Blackpool’s relegation has forced them to release an even larger number of players, including Marlon Harewood. Expect David Vaughan to stay in the Premiership (my money is on Sunderland). [ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’right’] The most notable player on the market will probably be England’s Michael Owen, complete with laminated brochure and the burning injustice that scoring against Blackpool hasn’t secured him an England recall. I don’t think many will be losing much sleep wondering if he has found a new club. But that helicopter doesn’t pay for itself. Other high-profile players available include Manuel Almunia, whose high-profile mistakes may put off potential buyers.At the end of the January transfer window I saw a list of players looking like they would be free agents in the summer, and you forget some of the names still playing their trade in the top division. The odd player, like Jose Bosingwa, sorted out contract extensions, but where next for Sol Campbell, released by Newcastle last week? Or Kieron Dyer, Boudewijn Zenden, or Ricardo Fuller? Where now for Diomansy Kamara, Sotirios Kyrgiakos, or the cursed Owen Hargreaves? Is the best he can hope for a pay-as-you-play deal? You could argue the same for Jonathan Woodgate.Eidur Gudjohnsen anyone? Rob Green? Matthew Upson? How about a return to the Premiership for Harry Kewell, Lucas Neill and Ruud Van Nistelrooy??There will be plenty of youth players not having contracts renewed as well – age can be a blessing for them, but also a worrying time. You often see youngsters released at the bigger clubs, who buy big, but with the pressure for immediate success in modern football, youth players often don’t get the chance. But it is not always the club getting rid of the player of course. Players often run down the contract themselves as a way of leaving a club. One Manchester City youngster seemingly on is way this week is John Guidetti, frustrated with only one Carling Cup appearance this season. Johan Elmander seems to have allowed his contract to run down, and won’t struggle for interest.I doubt many will be too anxious at premiership footballers looking for new clubs, nor should they. Whilst the better players will never struggle to find a new club, those a bit lower down the ladder may find it harder than it used to be to maintain the deal they had. One possible positive outcome from the new fair play rules will hopefully be that many players will be forced to be more realistic with wage demands. And with the clubs more aware than ever that costs must be capped, expect plenty more clubs over the coming weeks to announce a raft of player releases. It could be a worrying summer for many.
After a spectacular 5-0 victory on the opening day, Fulham have lost two in a row and welcome and unbeaten West Brom Albion to Craven Cottage on Saturday.
The Cottagers were drubbed 3-0 at West Ham last time out, having previously put up a good performance losing 3-2 at Old Trafford. They have also found themselves dumped out of the League Cup by Sheffield Wednesday.
With three points from a possible nine, Martin Jol will be no doubt going out for maximum points against the Baggies.
Greek International captain Girogos Karagounis could feature, with Jol having singed the 35-year-old on a free transfer.
“I’m delighted to have signed for Fulham Football Club and I am excited by a new challenge in England and the Barclays Premier League,” the former Inter Milan and Panathinaikos midfielder said.
“I’m looking forward to working under Martin Jol and playing alongside some fantastic players at this club.”
Fellow new boy Dimitar Berbatov could also be in line for his first start for his new side, while Simon Davies, Bryan Ruiz and Kerim Frei are all expected to be in the squad.
Steve Clarke’s West Brom side have made a fantastic start to the campaign, beating Liverpool 3-0 on the opening day, before earning a dramatic point at White Hart Lane.
The Baggies claimed another Merseyside scalp during their last outing, beating Everton 2-0 at the Hawthorns.
Romelu Lukaku is hopeful of returning to the squad having sat out the Everton victory.
“Romelu’s injury was the result of a tackle and, to be honest, it was probably a 10-day injury. He just ran out of time to play against Everton,” Clarke said.
“It was natural that he would be fit and ready to play for Belgium.”
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Prediction: Fulham 2-2 West Brom
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Newcastle forward Demba Ba is unhappy at starting recent games on the bench, and could consider his future if he is not reinstated to the side’s starting line-up according to the striker’s agent.
The Senegal international started the Magpies’ fixture against Everton on the bench on Monday, before coming on to score both goals for the visitors in a 2-2 draw.
The forward’s agent Alex Gontran has stated that his client is becoming disillusioned with Newcastle boss Alan Pardew.
“Since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, Demba doesn’t understand the management,” the agent told BBC Sport.
“If he continues to be a substitute all season, we’ll look at other solutions.
“Demba is happy at Newcastle. He is playing in the Premier League, with lot of fellow French speakers and he loves the club’s supporters.
“He would like to start every game but he respects the choice of the coach, even if he does not always understand or agree.
“How could you put your best striker with full confidence on the left wing?’
“The choice to put Demba on the left last season was good for the club, because Papiss Cisse scored 13 goals.
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“But there was a lack of recognition for Demba. It is more difficult to play well when you don’t have the confidence of your staff,” he concluded.
Wayne Rooney has revealed in excerpts of his new autobiography of what it is really like to be on the end of Sir Alex Ferguson’s famous “hairdryer” treatment, and claims it does not always have a positive effect. The Daily Mail reports.
Rooney reflected on some of the most notable hairdryer moments during his time at United and admitted it can cause some players to have a mental breakdown.
He feels the worst telling-off he experienced was aimed at Louis Saha, after the Frenchman missed a late penalty to salvage a point against Celtic in the Champions League.
He said: “He’s in Louis’ face, shouting and screaming. It spurs some of the lads on, but it crushes others.”
The 26-year-old also described how he deals with the anger vented towards him and perhaps unwisely, answers back.
He added: “I don’t like getting shouted at by anyone. It’s hard for me to take so sometimes I shout back.
“I tell him he’s wrong and I’m right.”
At a club like United,Ferguson demands the highest standards of his players, shown by his fury at the Red Devils’ final day defeat to West Ham in 2007- despite already winning the Premier League title and just moments before the players received the trophy.
“After the rollicking it takes a while before everyone cheers up enough to put their Premier League-winning smiles back on”, Rooney said.
Rooney and the rest of the United team will be hoping to avoid many future hairdryer treatments from Sir Alex, as they attempt to wrestle the title back from Manchester City.
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Brede Hangeland has been linked with a move to Old Trafford as a solution to Sir Alex Ferguson’s concerning list of defensive injuries.
The towering centre back has been at Craven Cottage since 2008, however with his contract set to expire at the end of this season, Fulham boss Martin Jol may be tempted to cash-in for the big Norwegian should an offer be made by Manchester United during the January transfer window.
Defenders Chris Smalling, Phil jones and Nemanja Vidic have all been sidelined for United with long-term injures, however Smalling returned to training last week. So far this season, Rio Ferdinand and Johnny Evans have been Fergie’s only available centre backs, with midfielder Michael Carrick stepping in as cover.
Aged 31, Hangeland is older than United’s usual acquisitions, however the player would add depth and experience to the squad’s defence which has struggled to hit top form this season.
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The Fulham captain may also be a short-term replacement for Nemanja Vidic, who could be lured away from the Premier League by Barcelona or Juventus this January according to the Mirror.