Tottenham are ready to make a summer move for Chelsea forward Salomon Kalou, according to The Daily Mail.
The Ivory Coast international is a free agent at the end of the season due to an expiring contract, and the White Hart Lane club are ready to try to sign the African attacker on a Bosman ruling.
Kalou has largely been a bit-part player in the Blues set-up this season, but has been given a lease of life by Roberto Di Matteo, and is featuring more regularly in fixtures in Europe and the Premier League of late.
Chelsea are said to be keen to offer Kalou a new deal, and will re-open talks with the player’s representatives next week over a possible extension.
Italian giants AC Milan are also believed to be keeping an eye on the situation, and are ready to make a move to sign Kalou if contract talks with Chelsea fail.
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Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish is confident injured duo Steven Gerrard and Pepe Reina will be fit in time for the start of the new season.The pair have not travelled with the rest of the squad to China for the first leg of the club’s pre-season tour of Asia.
Gerrard is still recovering from surgery to heal a groin injury that ended his season in March and goalkeeper Reina is not yet ready to return to football after a double hernia operation last month.
Speaking at a press conference in Guangzhou as his side prepare for their first friendly on Wednesday, Dalglish said he was confident both would be fit to kick off Liverpool’s English Premier League campaign against Sunderland on August 13.
“Steven is injured at the moment and that’s why he’s not here with us,” Dalglish said.
“He has made a fantastic recovery from his operation towards the end of last season.”
“He just needs to get the final couple of niggles out of the way and then he will be fit for the start of the season against Sunderland.”
“I know people are disappointed he isn’t here with us but the disappointment would be far greater if he couldn’t play the first game.”
“That is why he has stayed at home, to rest and to have the best chance of being fit for the start of the season.”
“The same situation applies to Pepe – he had a double hernia operation in June.”
“He isn’t fit and so had to stay at home. He should be ready for the start of the season.”
A truly terrible week for the gunners, blowing a two goal lead to lose to their north London rivals followed by defeat in Portugal to Braga. A result which leaves their qualification to the last 16 from a group that was originally perceived as a formality now far from certain, going into the final group game. Talk of the title returning to Arsenal for the first time since 2004 have also quietened.
This week at FFC we have seen a variety of blogs which has included; A sign of football’s moral and financial depravity, Chamack vs Bendtner and a few Arsenal stars from yesteryear appearing in The Premier League DREAM team of all time?
We also have a look at Arsenal’s best stories on the web.
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Hallå Underbar – Christian’s lady puts Premiership WAGS in the shade
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Should Arsenal fans be overly concerned by his exit?
FIVE things we learnt from Arsenal today
Is this the Premier League team from HELL?
Will Morimoto swoop really provide the missing piece for Arsenal?
Arsenal FC – A Ferrari chassis powered by a Ford engine
Time for an Arsenal clearout?
The Nicklas Bendtner Poser
The Premier League DREAM team of all-time?
Who provides the backbone in Arsenal’s Ultimate XI?
A sign of football’s moral and financial depravity
Chamakh vs Bendtner
Are football fans slowly being shafted?
Why SOME Arsenal fans need to put away the pitchfork
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Click here to see the Best ARSENAL BLOGS around the Web this week
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£17 Million for two teenagers, how silly is that? – Highbury House
A poor team in a poorer league – Online Gooner
The Good, The Bad & The Downright Ugly – A Cultured Left Foot
Cesc crocked, Good, now we can get on with our game!! – Highbury House
In response to Ranting Morons – Online Gooner
The Invincibles Would Have Gone TWO Seasons Unbeaten These Days! – Wrighty7
Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta has stated that he is ready for the derby fixture against Manchester United, and admits that his side are lucky to have the chance to get back in the title race.
With Roberto Mancini’s men trailing the champions by three points, the sides meet at the Etihad Stadium on Monday in a crunch clash.
The Argentina international has admitted that his side are looking forward to the game, and must go into the fixture without fear.
“To be honest, after the Arsenal defeat I thought our chance was probably gone,” he told The Sun.
“We’ve been five points clear before so we know how it feels.
“But United losing against Wigan and dropping points against Everton shows that in football you have to believe because you never know.
“If we have another chance for the title it is because we deserve it. We kept going and we will continue to do that and see what happens.
“We know how important this game is. United are the team we want to beat — especially because it gives us a chance to go back to the top of the table.
“For the race for the title, it’s very important. That’s why it is probably one of the biggest derbies ever.
“We need to be strong mentally, focus on what we do and give it our all. We’ve got the talent and the quality — we’ve got everything.
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“But the mentality and the attitude for that game has to be more then 100 per cent. If we put everything into it, with the quality we have got it can make a difference,” he concludes.
Samir Nasri has refused to commit his future to Arsenal amid rumoured interest from English Premier League rivals Manchester United.Nasri has one year left on his contract at the Emirates but can force his way out of north London early if he opts not to sign a new deal.
In that event, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger will be forced to cash in on the midfielder in the July transfer window or risk losing him on a free transfer the following year.
With no shortage of suitors – he has reportedly attracted interest from United, Manchester City and Real Madrid – Nasri is in no rush to decide on his future.
The France international, who will line up with Les Bleus in friendlies against Ukraine on Monday and Poland on Thursday, said all contract discussions were off until after those matches.
“I don’t know if I will sign a new contract,” Nasri told TF1’s Telefoot in France.
“Anyway, the discussions are ongoing. For the moment, I don’t think about this. We will speak about it after the match with Poland.”
”Do I want to go to Man United? First, we should see if it’s real and if it is concrete.”
Wenger could be in for a busy transfer window, with Cesc Fabregas and Andrey Arshavin also expected to attract interest from rival clubs.
As certain players continue to perform week in and week out, others begin to find themselves more and more on the sidelines. This is the case with a number of players earning their wages at Tottenham. This is not because they are bad players – they just can’t keep up with the likes of Rafael van der Vaart and Gareth Bale – and let’s face it, few can. I’ve singled out four players for whom I think it’s time to move on. These are good players who I think could re-ignite their career at new clubs. Furthermore, their sale will add funds to Harry Redknapp’s transfer kitty as he hunts for the signature of two further ‘world-class’ players to help Spurs compete for trophies.
One such player who hasn’t made the impact that he may have hoped for is Niko Kranjcar. He joined Spurs for £2 million in 2009 and has only played sporadically since then. Newcastle United, Everton and Liverpool are all thought to be after the Croatians signature, which is valued by Spurs at £7 million. If Spurs move on Kranjcar for this kind of money it will be a piece of very good business. It’s unlikely that Newcastle and Everton will shell out that kind of money and Liverpool’s spending is being monitored very heavily right now. If Kranjcar engineers a move to Liverpool then he may find himself in a similar position to the one he’s currently in at Spurs. If Tottenham are willing to come down on their price, then moving Kranjcar onto Everton or Newcastle would be the best option for everybody involved.
Robbie Keane is another who has struggled to get game-time this season. The same state of affairs saw Keane shipped off to Celtic last season, where he was a success, winning the Celtic Fan’s Player of the Year Award. This season it’s likely that Keane’s plight will see him moved on for good. Juventus are thought to be monitoring Keane’s circumstances with interest. At one stage Keane looked set to be a real Spurs legend, so it’s a little sad to see him go, but it feels as though the time is right. Despite being 30 years old, you still feel as though he could do a job in Serie A.
Despite a good start to his Spurs career, David Bentley’s form soon faultered and he saw himself drop down the pecking order. Bentley cost Tottenham £15 million in July 2008 when purchased from Blackburn. It’s unlikely that Tottenham would be able to recoup this money in his sale. But with Aaron Lennon and Luka Modric both keeping him out, it’s time for him to seek football elsewhere. A move back to old club Blackburn Rovers could be on the cards, and if Spurs can get about £7-8 million out of the sale, they’ll have done a good piece of business.
Another player frozen out by Redknapp over the last year or so is Jamie O’Hara. The 24-year-old midfielder spent the last season on loan at Avram Grant’s Portsmouth, where he impressed. It’s now thought that West Ham (now managed by Grant) are looking to add O’Hara to their squad. If West Ham can match Spur’s £6 million asking price, this would be a good move for both teams.
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According to The Daily Telegraph, Newcastle United could be willing to part with influential midfielder Matt Ritchie this summer. The Scotland international played a key part in helping the Magpies win promotion to the Premier League back in 2017 before inspiring them to safety last time round, thus underlining the huge mistake they would be making if they were to let him go during the close season.
The Breakdown
Ultimately, the 28-year-old has been a hugely integral part of Rafa Benitez’s side ever since he made the move from Bournemouth to St James’ Park back in the summer of 2016, with the midfielder seemingly happy to drop down to the Championship knowing that the Magpies would be back in the top-flight very soon.
And he played as big a part as anybody in helping them reclaim their place in the top tier with 12 goals and eight assists in 42 Championship appearances, which he then backed up in the Premier League last term with three goals and six assists for the North East giants.
Significantly, no-one in the Newcastle squad created more chances than the Scottish midfielder last season to underline how crucial he is to the attacking ranks at St James’ Park, while his willingness to work defensively off the ball and track back is likely a big factor in why Benitez wants to keep him at the club – he seems to epitomise everything Benitez wants from a player in his squad.
Ultimately, take Ritchie out of the Newcastle team, and they are immediately much blunter going forward – while the likes of Jonjo Shelvey and Ayoze Perez obviously have the ability to compensate for Ritchie’s absence, it’s the 28-year-old that carries the greater threat of anyone.
Be it getting balls into the box from open play, or indeed his incredible ability from a set piece, the Scottish ace has it all from those wide positions, and if Newcastle are serious about moving to the next level under Benitez, and thus improving upon their tenth place finish last term, they cannot be in the business of selling their most influential players – Ritchie is one of those.
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Thus, if the Magpies are indeed to sell the Scotland international this summer, it could well be one of the biggest transfer mistakes the North East heavyweights have made in a many a year, and thus one that could seriously come back to haunt them in the Premier League this season.
Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez has confirmed midfielder Jonjo Shelvey will miss the match against Liverpool at Anfield this weekend because of a knee injury.
The club announced earlier this week that the 26-year-old had picked up a knee injury during the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth last weekend, and he looks set to miss out on the trip to Merseyside.
Following a disappointing spell of form that saw him relegated to the substitutes’ bench, the midfielder returned to the starting XI and he has been in impressive form alongside Mo Diame in the middle of the park in recent weeks, including being influential in the 1-0 win against Manchester United at St James’ Park last month.
The Magpies are just two points above the relegation zone and they desperately need to keep picking up points, and Rafa Benitez’s men could easily find themselves in the relegation zone by the time they kick off against Liverpool with Southampton playing host to fellow strugglers Stoke City and Swansea City welcoming West Ham United to the Liberty Stadium.
They face a tough task against Jurgen Klopp’s side though, who beat the Irons 4-1 at Anfield last weekend with the imperious front three of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino all getting on the score-sheet to take their combined tally for the season to 63 in all competitions.
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Manchester United currently find themselves in quite a strange position. Despite widespread strengthening of the squad over the summer, which saw them spend in excess of £150million – the most by any team in European football – a spate of injuries in defence, coupled with the decision to prioritise big-name attacking players over reinforcing their back line in their transfer dealings, has forced United boss Louis van Gaal to turn to unproven youth in the opening stages of the Premier League season.
However, the Dutchman is accustomed to dealing with youngsters, and may even relish the opportunity to do so again at Old Trafford.
Well-known for launching the careers of several world-class footballers, he gave Xavi and Andres Iniesta their debuts for Barcelona in his time there and now Van Gaal has a number of promising young players at his disposal, and may look to embrace United’s long-standing tradition of developing talent into potential champions. Though emulating the feats of Sir Alex Ferguson’s now-mythical Class of ’92 is a tough act to follow, here are five youngsters that may have important roles to play under Louis van Gaal at Manchester United.
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CLICK ON JAMES WILSON TO REVEAL THE FIVE
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It could be worse Nando, you could be one of these guys…
Football – Manchester United v West Ham United – Barclays Premier League – Old Trafford – 27/9/14Manchester United’s Paddy McNair in actionMandatory Credit: Action Images / Jason CairnduffLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for f
This Northern Irish teenager was handed his first-team debut in the 2-1 victory over West Ham United over the weekend and impressed many with his assuredness in defence, especially when United sustained heavy pressure after going down to ten men. After initially playing in midfield for his local side Ballyclare Colts, McNair was converted into a centre back after signing for the Red Devils in 2011. An important member of United’s Under-21 side, he was picked for the side in the U-21 Champions League last season, only to get sent off for two bookable offences against Bayer Leverkusen – which suggests that McNair still lacks some maturity. However, this can only be expected from a 19 year-old, and judging by his promising debut on Saturday he may find himself involved in van Gaal’s plans with the first team again this season.
Tyler Blackett
A product of United’s academy having signed for the club at the age of eight, Blackett has been the most prominent youngster to be promoted to the first team ranks under van Gaal, having played in the first five league fixtures of the campaign. With his competitive debut coming in the season’s curtain raiser against Swansea City, it has been an exceptionally steep learning curve for Blackett, and his red card for a clumsy challenge on Jamie Vardy in the 5-3 defeat to Leicester City is a sign that the 20 year-old defender is still adjusting to life in the Premier League. Nevertheless, van Gaal seems to have faith in the youngster, and will doubtless have been impressed by his professionalism – he is known to have opted to train and work at the gym in Carrington even on days off. There has even been talk of an England call-up for Blackett, and with his contract at United expiring in the summer, van Gaal may wish to act quickly to ensure that his services are retained for the future.
James Wilson
Wilson burst onto the scene last season with two goals against Hull City on his first team debut, and van Gaal has high hopes for the teenager as well. First scouted at the age of seven, Wilson earned his call-up to the first team squad after a series of impressive performances for the Under-18 side, finishing the 2012-13 season as the U-18 league’s top scorer and scoring seven goals in six consecutive appearances for the team at the start of last season. After the Hull game, Ryan Giggs – the interim manager at the time and van Gaal’s current deputy – had the following to say about the 18 year-old forward: “He is a natural goalscorer but he has got more to his game than that. He can run at people, he has got pace and he is a clever player.” Such high praise from United’s most decorated player suggests that Wilson has a bright future ahead of him, and with van Gaal believing him to be a better prospect than the now-departed Danny Welbeck, he may have found the ideal manager to help him develop his game further.
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Jesse Lingard
After progressing through United’s youth academy, Lingard signed a professional contract with the club in the summer of 2011. Four goals on his debut for Birmingham City whilst on loan last season gave an early indication of the attacker’s talent, and after another loan spell at Brighton and Hove Albion he was recalled to Old Trafford for the start of the new campaign. After an impressive pre-season, Lingard made his league debut for the first team against Swansea City, only to be substituted in the 24th minute due to injury. Such a setback was a cruel way for the youngster’s senior career at United to begin, but van Gaal’s decision to start the winger should at least give him confidence of breaking into the starting XI again in the future.
Nick Powell
Powell came to United’s attention in 2012 after excelling at Crewe Alexandra, and his goal in the 2012 League Two Play-off Final – arguably the finest goal the new Wembley has witnessed so far – showed precisely why the Red Devils were so keen on signing him. A £6 million deal was subsequently agreed in the summer of 2012, and Powell was quick to make his mark at Old Trafford, scoring on his first-team debut against Wigan Athletic at the start of the 2012-13 season. A loan move to Wigan then followed last year, during which the midfielder scored 12 goals in 42 appearances, and although he has once again been sent out on loan to Leicester City for the current campaign, there is no doubting Powell’s potential. Expect him to be involved in United’s first-team plans next season.
Fulham manager martin Jol has insisted that he is not worried by his side’s poor form.
The Cottagers slipped to a 3-0 Premier League defeat to Tottenham over the weekend, leaving them winless in their last seven games.
To make matters worse, they have failed to score in three games, but Jol believes that his team should not be discouraged by recent results and that they are on target to achieve their aims for the season:
“We’re still only three points away from 20 and there are still three games to go before we’ve even reached the halfway point of the league program,” he is quoted by SkySports.
“Our target is always – like 10 or 12 other teams – to get to 40 points, so I’m not worried.
Jol is missing the likes of Brede Hangeland and Bryan Ruiz through injury and predicts a return to winning ways once his star names are back in action:
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“Hangeland is coming back, Bryan Ruiz is coming back, so hopefully if everyone is on the board we can try to get back on the winning track.”
Two goals from Jermain Defoe and a long-range effort from Sandro saw the West Londoners slide to a home defeat at the hands of city rivals Tottenham at Craven Cottage.