Former Manchester United star Ray Wilkins believes that his old club will “look elsewhere” when it comes to deciding whether or not to keep on-loan striker Radamel Falcao at the end of the season.
The Colombian forward arrived at Old Trafford at the end of last summer to a great fanfare following a successful few years in European football with Porto, Atletico Madrid and Monaco.
Falcao was prolific with the first two clubs mentioned, but a serious ACL injury limited his playing time during his one full year in Ligue 1.
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United, though, gambled on his fitness, paying a figure of around £6m to loan him, his £200k+-per-week salary and agreeing to a potential future deal worth around £43.5m.
And, so far, the risk has not been met with reward, as Falcao has only found the back of the net on four occasions, while appearing off the pace in Louis van Gaal’s side.
Wilkins, who made over 150 appearances for United, believes that his career with the Premier League giants is as good as over and that the club will look at other forwards this summer instead of keeping him on:
“Falcao has been struggling for goals,” he told talkSPORT. “He hasn’t shown any type of form that we expected when he arrived at Manchester United.
“His form has been very poor in fact, we haven’t seen anything like the player who destroyed Chelsea with Atletico Madrid a few years ago.
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“They have already paid a huge loan fee and his wages are extremely expensive. To take him on would require a big fee, I would think they will look elsewhere.”
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If Tottenham Hotspur have managed to develop the knack of winning games without managing to play particularly well in recent weeks, then Mousa Dembele may well serve as a microcosm of their current performances.
The big Belgian has been a box-office hit at White Hart Lane since making his £15million summer move from Fulham during the summer, quickly becoming the glue that has stuck Andre Villas-Boas’ team together this term. While Gareth Bale has been the side’s best player, Dembele perhaps hasn’t been a million miles away in terms of how important his skillset has been in making this side tick.
Although the effervescent displays of strength, mobility and surging runs from deep, haven’t been delivered with quite the efficiency that fans have come to expect from Dembele in recent games. And after seeing their midfield already suffer one torturous blow in the knee ligament damage that ruled Sandro out for the season, supporters are understandably anxious to see their driving force in the engine room look to run out of steam.
Yet while Dembele’s performances over the last few fixtures haven’t come close to touching the form that we witnessed during the early parts of this season, those seeking to overanalyze the Belgian’s drop in form are at risk of looking for answers where there aren’t any to be had.
As the Premier League season heads full steam into February, Dembele couldn’t have picked a worse time to start churning out a series of sub-par performances. With the season about to head into the final straight and Spurs in a real dogfight to contend for a fourth-placed finish, now’s the sort of time in which you expect to see your squad move forward in their performances, not regress.
And over the last few games, despite some of the criticism aimed at him being wildly out of proportion, Dembele hasn’t looked completely at the races.
Following several weeks out with a hip complaint earlier in the season, rumours have continued to grumble that the former AZ Alkmaar-man is still in need of surgery to finally put the issue to bed. Judging by the lack of sharpness since his return to the side, that concept certainly isn’t without a touch of gravitas.
Although within that that spell out, supporters’ expectations towards him also seemed to bloat excessively out of proportion. His performances in a Spurs shirt before he ended up on the treatment table were superb, although you can’t help but feel that amongst some quarters of fans, the expectation was that Dembele would prove an instant remedy to the side’s lack of fluidity.
Since that hasn’t happened, the school of thought seems to be that there’s something drastically wrong with their No19.
Whether this hip issue truly is hindering his performances to such an extent remain to be seen, although as with all things at White Hart Lane, every issue seems to demand a forensic investigation to establish its cause. And it appears few seem to have considered the prospect that Dembele is simply suffering a dip in form.
The concept of any player simply being unable to perform at 100% over a 38 game league season seems to have become something approaching a taboo subject in the Premier League, but every player bar a very exceptional few in this league, is going to experience a difficult spell in the league. Mousa Dembele is no different.
Where as earlier on this season Dembele was gliding past midfielders for fun, we’ve frequently seen him walk into the opposition over the last few games and cheaply loose possession.
The flicks and shimmies that were coming off for him a couple of months ago just aren’t sticking at the moment and where as the more advanced elements of his game have been faltering, that lack of confidence seems to have affected the bread-and-butter parts, too.
Against Newcastle United on Saturday, Dembele’s uncharacteristic hesitance on the ball was exposed by Alan Pardew’s combative midfield and not for the first time over the last few games, the Belgian looked vulnerable. For a home crowd that have known nothing but excellence from their unique midfielder, seeing him struggle to take control of the game was a very rare sight indeed.
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But as opposed to looking for some form of tactical solution to Dembele’s issues, an unnecessary switch around in personnel or even a spell out of the side, all he really needs to do, is simply keep playing.
The best tonic that Dembele can get to overcome a series of fading performances is a dose of hearty support from the fans and time in the side to ride this period out. The lack of depth that Villas-Boas has within his midfield suggests that it would have to take something drastic for him to sit out a couple of games, but even if he had adequate cover, he’s not going to find an answer to his problems sitting on the bench.
Only time will tell how much his hip issue may or may not be hindering him and you suspect that Dembele probably isn’t playing at 100%. But supporters must be patient and they must be realistic in regards to their expectations towards him. Yes, he isn’t gallivanting around the pitch with quite the verve he had a few months ago, but he’s still playing a vital part in this Tottenham side pushing for a top four finish.
Mousa Dembele may have inadvertently picked a poor time to go off the boil, but time heals everything – be it injury, defeat and most poignantly, a lack of form. Now wouldn’t be a bad time to remember that.
Kwadwo Asamoah was in the Juventus side that was blown away by Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday night as the Portuguese superstar effectively sealed Real Madrid’s place in the Champions League semi-finals after the the first leg of the last eight tie.
The former Manchester United man netted after just three minutes to grab the crucial away goal and followed that up with a stunning overhead kick to make it 2-0.
Asamoah’s opposite number at left-back, Marcelo, made it three to ensure that the return leg will be something of a formality next week.
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There was little the 29-year-old, valued at £11.5m by Transfermarkt, could do to stop the Ronaldo masterclass. Yet, there could well have been three Premier League teams keeping an eye on his performance in the quarter-final tie.
The Sun reported last week that Everton were interested in the adaptable ace, potentially with one eye on replacing aging left-back Leighton Baines, who has struggled with injury this season.
The report also claims that Tottenham and Chelsea hold an interest in doing a deal for Asamoah. Yet, while he would likely be a squad player with either of the London rivals, he would hope to start more regularly at Everton.
It was a solid, if unspectacular, night’s work for Asamoah. Two tackles and two interceptions show that he was capable of stopping Real’s frightening attack at times, and he also made a clearance.
95 per cent pass accuracy is very impressive in such a high pressure game – although it remains to be seen how that fits in with Sam Allardyce’s more basic style – so it might be the two crosses he got in during a game his side struggled in that impress more.
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Allardyce should have seen enough to convince him that he needs to make sure he is ahead of the two London sides who will play in European football next season in the queue to sign Asamoah should he get the opportunity in the summer.
Last week, fans across England were surprised when Hull City’s Tom Ince turned down the opportunity to play for the England U21 team.
The U21’s manager Gareth Southgate revealed that the winger, who is currently on loan at Derby County, had told him he was not interested in being considered for this summer’s European Championships. Southgate admitted his “disappointment” with Ince and many fans believe he has just blown his career. However, according to father, Paul Ince, it was the right decision to make. So has Tom Ince’s decision damaged his career?
Tom Ince hasn’t got the best reputation amongst fans across the country from various incidents in the past and many believe his ego precedes him and he isn’t the only player to have snubbed the England U21’s. Wilfried Zaha was accused of bad attitude two years ago when Stuart Pearce was in charge. Zaha gave the impression it was a chore to be away with England and since then he has struggled to be even considered when it comes to the national team.
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So might it backfire on Ince? The 23-year-old now has a mark next to his name – anyone who turns down England no matter what the level must realise it could be held against them in years to come. Maybe Ince has misplaced his priorities – him and his father have always been careful to make sure Ince Junior gets the right deal even it means upsetting people to get there. Whilst manager at Blackpool, Paul Ince was accused of abandoning his team to help get his son the right move and the opinions of Tom have not changed since then.
Ince is already receiving a “pitchfork” treatment on social media with fans accusing him of having an over inflated ego. Ince Junior believes that his career has stalled and chose to turn down the England team to concentrate on his club football and making sure he gets the right training he needs to be fully prepared for next season. This is admirable in itself because it shows he is trying to make the best for himself but the idea could backfire on him. He is unsure as to where he will be next season and while it makes sense he wants to concentrate on his club surely going and showing his best football playing for England would improve his chances of a good transfer?
It is well known that Hodgson holds national loyalty extremely highly when it comes to picking his team. When he first took over he insisted that every member of the squad would sing the national anthem before the matches. Crouch once turned down the England U21s and Hodgson didn’t pick him for three years after that so it could be a similar situation for Ince?
The winger has certainly put himself at a disadvantage not just with the people who choose the England squad but also with fans. Football fans have good memories and this is not something which is going to be forgotten easily. Boos echoed around the pitch at Molineux last weekend and I suspect it will be the first of many. Fans across the country are not impressed by the national snub. Ince may have dented his career when he thinks he has made the decision to save it.
Interestingly, his father, who told the Daily Mail he thought Tom had made the right decision, was once quoted, “If you get called up, you should make sure you’re there.” Obviously this doesn’t count when it comes to your own child!
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Arsenal youngster Emmanuel Frimpong has moved across London to join Fulham on loan for the rest of the season as reported by Sky Sports.
The 21 year old has been on loan at Championship club Charlton this season after a spell with relegated Wolves at the end of last season.
The Gunners academy product has found first team opportunities at the Emirates limited since he turned 18 and will need plenty of game time at Craven Cottage to convince Arsene Wenger that he is worthy of a spot in his midfield.
Frimpong seems to have sold more t-shirts than he has had minutes on the pitch of late, but the Ghanaian born holding player will be keen to force his way into Martin Jol’s side.
After the departures of Danny Murphy, Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele in the summer, Jol has had to completely reform the middle of the pitch and Northern Irish defender Chris Baird has filled in for most of this season so far.
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Liverpool will welcome Manchester City to Anfield on Wednesday night for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
There is simply no downplaying the importance of the match as the Reds look to stay in the tie ahead of the second leg at the Etihad Stadium.
It is easy to predict a number of players that will start at Anfield, but there is some uncertainty surrounding the three players that will feature in the Liverpool midfield.
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Jordan Henderson is Liverpool captain, but it would be fair to say that the England international has his doubters.
Indeed, it is difficult to pinpoint one thing that the 27-year-old does extremely well, and it might well be that Reds boss Jurgen Klopp leaves him on the bench against Man City.
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That is what the Liverpool supporters want to happen anyway, with a number taking to Twitter to beg their manager not to select Henderson, who is believed to be on £100,000 a week at Anfield, from the start.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
QPR boss Harry Redknapp believes there is a mole inside the club deliberately undermining him, after reports emerged he could face the sack at Loftus Road, according to the Daily Express.
The 67-year-old says he does not know whether reports regarding his future are true, but the fact a story was leaked suggesting he would be fired if QPR do not get a result against Manchester United today are evidence there is an ‘insider’ at the club looking to force him out.
Owner Tony Fernandes has given no indication on Redknapp’s future, but the former West Ham and Tottenham boss was as open and honest as ever in his pre-match press conference.
“I have had a great time and I want to carry on doing it,” he said. “But if the chairman decides otherwise because someone, somewhere has tried to cause me a problem by talking to someone at a paper, I know what the score is.
“I’m not silly, I’m very streetwise. Someone has tried to cause me a problem. I wasn’t born yesterday. Journalists get it from somewhere. Someone has said something. Obviously someone has.
“I don’t wonder who it is. I might look silly, but I’m not. There is always someone trying to put a spoke in.
“It is an ‘insider’. Who is this ‘insider’? They should check everyone’s phones and find out. That’s the best way. It’s easy. Get all their phones and see who has rung the journalist in question.”
Redknapp also poked fun at the suggestion he had to beat Manchester United in order to save his job.
“‘You’ve got to beat Manchester United’? They could have picked an easier one!” he said.
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“I have got a great relationship with the owners and the shareholders and if they want to make a change and feel they want to go in a different direction, that is up to them.
“I have loved every minute of my time here but if they decide otherwise, that is their decision. They are entitled to do that.
“I cannot lose any sleep over it. Whatever they do, they do. I would not be leaving home at 5.30am if I did not have the hunger. I would have turned over and gone back to sleep.”
target Lewis Holtby has refused to sign a new deal with German club Schalke, paving the way for a potential move to Anfield in the summer, the Mirror reports.
It is believed that the German international has failed to agree terms for a new deal with his current club after several months of negotiations, putting a host of interested suitors on alert.
Liverpool have reportedly been monitoring the 22-year-old’s progress and manager Brendan Rodgers is now set to step up his pursuit of the midfielder as the player is allowed to speak to foreign clubs from January.
Holtby, who has been capped three times by his country has stated his desire to play in the Premier League despite criticising the lack of a winter break.
“The break in the Bundesliga gives everyone the chance to have a rest,” he said.
“We also get the chance to go back and spend time with our families over Christmas, which is important.”
“I know how important football is to English fans over the Christmas break, but it must take its toll on the players.”
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“For the rest of us it doesn’t make too much sense because when players are tired and playing so regularly you do pick up little niggles and injuries.”
An announcement on Holtby’s future is expected later today and Rodgers will be keeping a close eye on the situation as he looks to strengthen his squad after watching them slump to another defeat last night, this time at the hands of Stoke City.
The agent of Napoli’s Amadou Diawara has quashed reports linking the midfielder with a move to Spurs.
Reports in Italy via Corriere dello Sport suggested this weekend that Napoli’s interest in Sampdoria midfielder Lucas Torreira has opened the door for Diawara to leave the club this summer.
Diawara, who moved to Napoli from Bologna in 2016, has mainly appeared as a substitute for the title challengers this season but at just 20 is seen as integral to the future of the club.
The Guinean youngster reportedly has a release clause of just £21m though; something that the Italian press believe Mauricio Pochettino is sniffing around as he seeks a central midfield partner for Mousa Dembele.
The player’s agent has now expressed their discontent at the rumours.
“I don’t know who’s putting out such destabilising rumours at such a delicate moment in Napoli’s season,” Diawara’s agent Daniele Piraino told RAI Sport, as reported by Football Italia.
“Diawara is very happy at Napoli, he has three years on his contract and he’s focused.
Of course, even if Spurs were chasing the 20 year-old it would be best for all parties to keep it out of the news, so it does not mean the move is definitely off.
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Diawara is averaging an incredible 100 passes per 90 minutes this season in the league, at a success rate of 93%, and would certainly be a major coup for Tottenham if they can do some persuading.
Spurs fans, do you think a deal can be done for Diawara? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
In an incredible career, with two spells at Anfield spanning the course of 15 years, Ian Rush still remains Liverpool’s all-time top goalscorer. The Welshman terrified defences for the Reds in the 80s and early 90s, and he went onto score an unrivalled 346 goals in 660 games.
At present, Liverpool are going through somewhat of a crisis. The influential Luis Suarez packed his bags in the summer to head for Barcelona. His replacement Mario Balotelli has yet to score a league goal. Daniel Sturridge has been out for most of the season – and worst of all, last years runners-up currently sit in 11th place in the Barclays Premier League with just 21 points from 16 games.
We caught up with the Liverpool great Ian Rush – speaking on behalf of 888Sport.com, who are putting betting at the heart of football debate by asking punters to have the #LastWord over their mates by backing their banter with a bet – to get his thoughts on the current striker crisis, whether Raheem Sterling should get a run in the side as the main striker, if Brendan Rodgers’ current criticism is warranted and what his thoughts are ahead of the Liverpool v Arsenal showdown at Anfield on Sunday.
Lets make no mistake about it, Liverpool are massively underachieving this season. Despite an excellent 3-1 win and performance in the Capital One Cup over Bournemouth on Wednesday, Liverpool have picked up just seven league points from their last 21 available, and the Reds’ have made their worst start to a league campaign for 50 years.
But there’s only really one place to start – Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan international scored a phenomenal 31 goals in all competitions for the Reds last term, before earning a £75m move to Barcelona in the summer;
Just how much are Liverpool missing Luis Suarez?
Any team would miss Luis Suarez. Him and Daniel Sturridge were fantastic in attack last season, and any team in the world would miss Luis Suarez.
Do you think Mario Balotelli was the right man to replace Luis Suarez?
Well I don’t think Mario Balotelli was a replacement for Luis Suarez. I think Liverpool were just really unfortunate to have Daniel Sturridge injured. I’m now looking forward to when Sturridge, Balotelli and Sterling are all fit. The only time they have all played together – was when we played Tottenham and won 3-0. They all seemed to blend together, so that’s what I’m looking forward to seeing again. You can’t replace Luis Suarez with just one other player – as he’s so good. The first time I saw Sturridge, Sterling and Balotelli together was at Tottenham – which was our best win – and that’s what I’m looking forward too.
How vital is Sturridge going to be when he returns in the second half of the season?
Well you never know. But him and Luis Suarez were fantastic last season – they probably got 80% of our goals. So when Sturridge does come back, it will be like having a new player. It will be like having a January signing, but what we’ve got to do is keep him fit. He will be hungry because he hasn’t played for such a long time – he will be desperate to get back, and I think he will do very well. It’s just a matter of him settling back into what he done last year. So really what were looking at there is Daniel Sturridge being like our new signing in January, and hopefully he will stay fit.
Are you surprised by Liverpool’s plight this season, after going so close last term?
I think we over achieved last season, everything just fell into place for us. We had that little bit of luck, we didn’t have many injuries and we wasn’t in the Champions League. So we’ve had our bit of luck and you have to be realistic. It’s been an indifferent start to the season for us. We’ve had new players in that have taken time to gel together at the start of the season. Obviously we’ve got to stop leaking goals, I wouldn’t concentrate on scoring goals because I think we can do that, we’ve just got to stop letting goals in. Last season, we were letting goals in, but if we let two in we would score three – this season that hasn’t happened. We haven’t had the luck, we haven’t had the rub of the green this time, we’ve had injuries, we’ve also had the Champions League – so little things like that are the difference from last season to this season.
Raheem Sterling was superb against Bournemouth on Wednesday, do you think he should be given a run as the main striker?
Yeah I think he should, against Manchester United he could have had a hat-trick, and he obviously scored the two against Bournemouth. When you look at it before the Manchester United game, we wasn’t creating any clear-cut chances. Although Sterling missed a few, I’m happy that we are creating chances. With Sterling down the middle with Daniel Sturridge, that’s a good option. He’s very quick down the wings, but when it does click down the middle – and he goes past you – he’s clear on the goalkeeper for a scoring chance. I’ve seen players who like it down the middle as well, and he can do that. With him in the middle, I feel we are creating chances now, whereas in the games against Stoke and Sunderland, we didn’t really create the chances that we needed.
As for Brendan Rodgers, do you feel like the pressure on him is warranted at the moment, and do you believe he’s the right man for Liverpool going forward?
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Yeah he’s the right man for the job, he done well last season. We’ve got to stick with him, give him a chance. He’s got a squad there that needs time to gel and that’s what we’re looking to do. He just needs time to come good, and I think we will.
Lastly, what’s your thoughts on the big clash between Liverpool and Arsenal on Sunday?
Well it’s always a good game when we play each other – there’s always goals in it. Last time, we hit Arsenal very early – we were a couple of goals ahead before they realised what hit them. That’s the difference, last season we were starting off early – we scored a lot goals in the first 30 minutes – but this season it’s been a big change. But Arsenal are a quality side, they always did know how to play football, and I think it will be a good test because they always do well. But when they play the top teams they try to keep the ball and fail, but they will be looking to press Liverpool to try and change that – and if they beat Liverpool they will be looking at one step ahead. As for Liverpool, our job is to stay in contention. I think there will be goals in it, and I think if we can get a result against Arsenal, it will put us back on track.
Ian Rush is an 888sport #LastWord ambassador. Join the debate on Twitter @888sport, share your opinion on Facebook.com/888sportfans
and read the best analysis on the betting brand’s dedicated blog. Sign-up now and claim £88 of free bets at888sport.com. Liverpool are 15/8 to beat Arsenal with 888sport.com.