Manchester United are reportedly making positive steps in trying to bring a new winger to the club.
According to Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport, the Red Devils have agreed personal terms with Paris Saint-Germain’s Lucas Moura.
It was widely reported in the summer that manager Jose Mourinho was keen to add a winger to his squad.
Inter Milan star Ivan Perisic was touted as a target, but in the end, the Portuguese coach did not strengthen that area.
Now, it appears that Mourinho has chosen Moura to fill that role, but Gazzetta dello Sport add that the two clubs are yet to agree on a deal.
The publication states that PSG have quoted a figure of £35m, but United are interested in striking an initial loan arrangement that will run for the rest of the season.
It seems that there is still a way off before an agreement is made, but according to members of the media, a deal is in motion.
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United fans have given mixed responses to the idea of the club signing Moura, who has made five Ligue 1 appearances but none of them starts.
Jack Marriott has been scoring goals for fun at reserve level over a long period of time, but the 19 year old still has only made on appearance for Ipswich.
Many have been questioning how well the young striker has been managed with most believing he would do more for the first team than the likes of Frank Nouble or Alan Lee. Additionally now that Marriott has been loaned out to non-league side Woking who play in the Skrill Premier league, critics believe his development would be better served if he stayed at Ipswich.
I was surprised myself that a team in either League One or League Two had not noticed that Marriott was consistently scoring more than a goal per game against some good reserve team defenders.
Of course it is hard to tell how the non-competitive games match up to lower league fixtures with the reserve teams being mostly composed of youth team members, fringe players and players returning from injury. However, it is safe to assume that although they are not competitive, the reserve games would be just as good as the Skrill Premier League.
It seems highly likely that Mick McCarthy places a lot of importance on the competitive side of football matches. In pre-season the former Wolves boss revealed how he strongly dislikes non-competitive fixtures and he clearly believes that unless there is something at stake you can’t have a proper game of football.
This would explain why he was willing to send his young star to a non-league side instead of leaving him in the reserves, but why did a League One or League Two not make an offer for him?
It seems that a lot of lower league sides were unwilling to give game time to a young striker without actual first team experience and a lot of managers must have an opinion similar to that of Mick McCarthy in that they don’t think much of non-competitive football.
The fact that Marriott’s loan to Woking is only one month long says a lot about the purpose of the move though. He has already scored three goals in his first two appearances and will no doubt have an impressive competitive goal scoring record to add to his CV when his loan finishes.
Once the youngster has that all important first team experience under his belt he can then either make his way into the Ipswich set up with confidence or go back out on loan at a higher level.
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It seems that the main purpose of Marriott’s loan is to improve his reputation and test how well he copes outside the comfort zone of the low pressure reserve games.
The Ipswich boss is obviously still very interested in seeing what his hottest prospect can do as he attended the last Woking game to see Marriott score twice.
It wouldn’t surprise me if a number of League Two sides make loan offers for Marriott in January, then McCarthy will have a very difficult decision to make as he may well want to use the in-form striker to boost his play-off chances.
The beauty of cup competitions is their unpredictable nature. As well as shock victories you tend to see unlikely heroes who grab the headlines, whether it is scoring the winning goal; saving a decisive penalty, or simply a moment of individual brilliance. As we fast approach the 3rd Round of the Capital One Cup we decided to look back at those unlikely heroes who simply made their name in one magic moment during this prestigious Cup Competition and find out what has happened to them since.
Whatever happened to Steve Morrow…
Anybody who’s ever written an article regarding calamitous sporting celebrations will have come across the name Steve Morrow. The versatile Northern Ireland international pulled on the Gunners shirt on 62 occasions in the Premier League, but his name is still notorious amongst fans of the North London club for what happened in the 1993 League Cup Final.
Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday were locked at 1-1 after Paul Merson cancelled out a John Harkes opener before Merson then turned provider for Steve Morrow who bagged the winner with what was coincidently his first goal for the club. However, in the aftermath of the game, Tony Adams attempted to lift Morrow up to parade the match winner round the pitch, only for Adams to slip, dropping Morrow, who promptly broke his arm, causing him to miss the rest of the campaign including the FA Cup Final against the same opponents.
Morrow hadn’t long broken into the Arsenal side, having only made his debut in 1992, coming on as a substitute against Norwich City. He proved equally adept at covering positions in either midfield or the defence and this helped him become a key member of the squad during that cup double winning campaign. Despite this, Morrow found himself more marginalised the following season, making just 13 league appearances in 1993/94, but he played the game of his life in helping Arsenal to victory in the 1994 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Final as the Gunners beat Parma 1-0. He also featured in the Cup Winners’ Cup Final the year after in the defeat to Real Zaragoza that is remembered most fondly in one half of North London more than the other thanks to Nayim’s outrageous lob.
Once Bruce Rioch took charge at Highbury, the writing was on the wall for Morrow and he played just five times in the whole of the 1995/96 season. The arrival of Arsene Wenger saw Morrow deemed surplus to requirements and the hero of the 1993 League Cup Final was shipped out to QPR, initially on loan before he made the deal permanent. Although the player was a regular during his time at Loftus Road, making 91 league appearances, he couldn’t stop the side being relegated from the First Division. A loan spell at Peterborough didn’t work out so Morrow headed over the pond in 2002 where he joined Dallas Burn. He made 41 appearances for the MLS outfit, and became their assistant manager after retiring due to a persistent neck injury.
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After a few spells in and out of the job, he became the permanent manager of the club in 2006 but lasted just two years in the role after struggling to help FC Dallas make any sort of impression on the division. Morrow came back to England and took up a role with Arsenal again as their International Partnerships Performance Supervisor – a role that involves scouting players in various countries and also working with a network of elite academies across the globe in grassroots football. Given Arsenal’s reputation for finding and cultivating overseas talent in their own academy, Morrow is charged with a pretty important role to find the next big thing waiting to be snapped up.
Although Morrow never produced anything as spectacular as his League Cup Final winner during the rest of his Arsenal career, he will always be remembered for his versatility and hard work at the club. He put in a decent shift in the Northern Ireland jersey as well, playing on 39 occasions and scoring just the one goal. Fortunately, his teammates were sensible enough not to pick him up and parade him round the pitch afterwards…
Aston Villa booked their spot in the Championship playoff final with a goalless draw at home to Middlesbrough on Tuesday night.
Indeed, Villa’s 1-0 victory at the Riverside Stadium in the first leg of their semi-final proved enough to send Steve Bruce’s side into the final.
The clash at Villa Park was not exactly fantastically entertaining, but Villa were so resolute as they edged their way to Wembley.
Conor Hourihane played 85 minutes of the goalless draw before leaving the field for Glenn Whelan.
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The 27-year-old was unable to add to the 11 Championship goals that he managed during the regular season, but the midfielder’s overall performance made a big impression on the club’s supporters, and not for the first time this term.
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Indeed, the Villa fans were absolutely delighted with what they saw from the Irishman, and are hoping for a similar display in the final against Fulham later this month.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
As per talkSPORT, West Ham United have been told that they need to cough up £22million to sign Atalanta’s Bryan Cristante.
During his time in Italy, the midfielder has produced numerous impressive performances, and he’s beginning to attract the interest of Europe’s most recognisable clubs.
What’s the story?
The midfielder is currently on loan at the Serie A club from Portuguese champions, Benfica, however, it is believed that the Italian club are prepared to exercise their option to sign the 22-year-old permanently before selling him for an instant profit.
It is reported that Atalanta could buy Cristante for £4.5m, before insisting upon a fee of £22m from interested parties. The Italian has allegedly aroused interest from the likes of Manchester United, Juventus, Inter Milan, and West Ham.
Is he worth it?
Atalanta’s number four is predominantly regarded for his attacking qualities, and he’s been especially productive for the Italian team this season. In 23 appearances for the Serie A club this season, Cristante has been directly involved in 12 goals, scoring nine and providing three assists. Thus, he currently averages a goal or an assist every two games – a remarkable statistic for a 22-year-old.
The Italian is recognised for his proficient finishing ability, in addition to his capacity to complete intelligent through balls. Without a doubt, his presence would enhance West Ham’s attacking output.
Cristante netted three goals over two games against Everton in the Europa League group stages earlier this season, which will have caught the attention of West Ham and other clubs across the continent.
Soccer Football – Europa League – Everton vs Atalanta – Goodison Park, Liverpool, Britain – November 23, 2017 Atalanta’s Bryan Cristante celebrates scoring their second goal with Andrea Petagna (R) and Marten de Roon (L) Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine
Would he fit in?
West Ham United deployed a 3-4-2-1 formation in their previous match in the Premier League, and if David Moyes is keen to establish the three at the back as the Hammers’ permanent strategy, one can envisage how Cristante would fit in their team.
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Considering the wealth of attacking qualities that the Italian flaunts, he would be best utilised operating in a somewhat central position behind the striker. That said, he made 17 appearances as a central midfielder this term which is illustrative of his adaptability.
Mike Ashley’s involvement with Newcastle United has been turbulent to say the least. Having to settle for Premier League mediocrity is a hard enough pill to swallow, but to have the heart and soul of the club ripped out by the interventions of the ‘cockney mafia’ as well is tortuous.
Newcastle are a hugely successful club historically, and you don’t stop being a footballing institution like this overnight. Clubs always go through cyclical changes for better and for worse, but the big clubs always seem to maintain the same level of ambition that made them great; sadly Ashley’s Newcastle fall well short of the mark.
As an outsider looking in it is perhaps easier to sympathise with someone like Ashley, devoid of the personal attachment to the club it is easier to be rational about it. Even so the actions of Ashley are still unforgivable and the anger of fans quite understandable.
Ashley may well be the owner of a £1.5bn retail empire, but that doesn’t make him a footballing genius, rather a footballing clown. Lack of investment, managerial sackings, rebranding and staff appointment; he has made so many amateurish mistakes down the years. Whilst some learn, Ashley basking in his own self-importance has just compounded things.
Ashley treats the club like his play thing, the only difference between him and Abramovich is the fact the Russian actually invests significant funds in a targeted manner.
The Keegan resignation and stadium renaming are all significant issues, but for me the concern that has dogged the whole Ashley reign has been a lack of ambition.
For too long Newcastle have settled for second best. This season the club have revised their ambitions up to a 10th placed finish and are offering significant bonuses as an incentive to achieving this. I am all for financial prudence and realism, but surely Newcastle can aim higher?
It isn’t as if this is a stepping-stone to something better, under in the last 8 seasons they have only finished in the top 10 twice and their recent Europa League run resulted in a league relegation battle for much of the season. There doesn’t appear to be any co-ordinated strategy for making a gradual climb back to the top, more a series of scatterbomb approaches to achieving mediocrity. The panicked French acquisitions last January shouldn’t really have come as a surprise, Ashley is always willing to dip into his pocket when he needs to save face. But this just seeks to highlight the point, the purchases last season weren’t part of any grand strategy but more as a means for papering over the cracks. Ashley has the means to maintain Newcastle as a second rate side, but is this really good enough?
With a published wage bill of £64m, Newcastle are on a par with clubs like Everton and are actually ahead of many of their mid-table challengers. Money doesn’t always buy success but it is a decent barometer for the kind of players you can attract to your club. Newcastle may not have the spending power of a top 4 club, but they have the means to compete for Europa at least.
Ashley’s attempts to sell the club probably illustrates why the clubs plans are so unambitious, a current state of flux between Ashley’s tenure and someone that will meet his valuation for the club.
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I personally don’t think Newcastle fans owe Mike Ashley anything. A man that is obsessed with his own self-importance and cares little about the muddying of a footballing institution, the sooner they are rid of him the better in my opinion.
Wins over Chelsea and Spurs have shown the potential of the club, but until new and ambitious owners are found these will just be anomalies amongst a sea of mediocrity.
England defender John Terry appears to have won his race to be fit for the upcoming World Cup qualifying double-header against Moldova and Ukraine.
Terry’s Chelsea teammate Ashley Cole is battling to recover for the latter qualifier after being ruled out of Friday’s match in Chisinau with an ankle injury, which has ended Cole’s hopes of becoming the first full-back to win 100 England caps during September’s double-header. He is currently on 98 and will have to wait until at least next month to reach his century. However, Blues captain Terry played a full part in training at England’s London Colney base on Monday afternoon, looking completely untroubled by his recent neck injury as he headed several balls during the session of more than an hour.
Striker Andy Carroll had already been ruled out of both games after suffering a hamstring injury on his West Ham debut on Saturday, while boss Roy Hodgson was already without Wayne Rooney, who suffered a gashed leg playing for Manchester United before the squad was named. Sixteen of England’s 22 remaining players trained on Monday, with those involved in matches on Sunday restricted to gym work: captain Steven Gerrard, Danny Welbeck, Glen Johnson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Michael Carrick and Tom Cleverley. Hodgson allowed the session to remain open to the media throughout after it was initially scheduled to take place behind closed doors after the first 15 minutes.
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Liverpool could be in for a busy summer in the transfer market depending on where they finish in the Premier League table and how their Champions League final tie against Real Madrid turns out, but manager Jurgen Klopp will already have his targets in mind.
One position where he may be looking to strengthen could be in the centre-forward position, where the only real competition for the brilliant Roberto Firmino has been Danny Ings in recent weeks.
The German manager may well be looking for an upgrade in that position and someone proven to fill in for and compete with Firmino for a starting spot, and Reds fans on Twitter were certainly left impressed with Roma striker Edin Dzeko’s performance against them across the two legs of their Champions League semi-final tie, urging the Merseyside outfit to sign the former Manchester City man.
We asked Liverpool supporters to vote on our poll to see whether they would back a summer move for the Bosnia and Herzegovina striker – who has 24 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions for the Serie A outfit this term – and a small majority of 53% said they would.
It remains to be seen whether would be willing to sign a 32-year-old or would want someone a little younger with more potential, but there is no doubt that Dzeko has proven that he could get goals both in the Premier League and in Europe for them next season.
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Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has set his sights on beating Chelsea and Manchester United to Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey, an exclusive Daily Star report has revealed.
What’s the story?
With Alexis Sanchez expected to leave Arsenal in the summer, or potentially even earlier if Arsenal receive a good enough bid for him in January, Arsene Wenger is already scouring the market for a credible replacement.
The Chile international has been Arsenal’s most important player since signing from Barcelona in 2014 but with just a couple of FA Cups to his name in England, the attacker has understandably grown frustrated with Arsenal’s failure to compete for bigger honours with more intent.
His exit would leave a large whole in Arsenal’s attack and replacing the 29-year-old will be difficult, if not impossible, but Chelsea and Man United target Bailey is attracting the attention of Wenger and the Frenchman is hoping he can convince the 20-year-old to move to North London over his Premier League rivals.
Can Bailey replace Sanchez?
It’s too early to say as he’s still very young, but the early signs are promising.
The Jamaica U23 international joined Bayer Leverkusen last summer following some impressive form for Belgian outfit Genk, and a record of eight goals in 22 Bundesliga appearances so far this season has understandably caught the attention of England’s elite.
Replacing Sanchez is never going to be easy and when he arrived at Arsenal he already had a reputation as being one of the best players in Europe, while Bailey would arrive without any reputation whatsoever.
That would undoubtedly put a lot of pressure on the youngster to succeed. Being signed as a direct replacement to a player who has scored 78 goals 162 first team appearances for Arsenal is going to come with high expectations and severely high pressure to be an instant success.
Whether Bailey can thrive under that pressure remains to be seen, but Arsenal would perhaps be better off recruiting a more experienced player as Sanchez’s direct and immediate replacement should he leave.
Is he worth the money?
It is believed Leverkusen value Bailey at £35million, which will not put off many elite clubs across Europe should they decide to make a move for the youngster. He is valued at just £9.9m by transfermarkt.com
Bailey has impressed in Germany this season and is building a reputation for being extremely fast, a trait Arsenal could really with adding to their attack.
The state of today’s transfer market suggests spending £35m on a promising 20-year-old is not as ridiculous as it would have been a few years ago, and if Bailey can hit the ground running in the Premier League then you have to say that sum is not a lot of money at all.
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It remains a gamble, though. With just a few years of first team experience under his belt, such pressure and expectation at a big club like Arsenal could hinder Bailey’s development and would therefore render his transfer fee as expensive or even over-priced.
But on the flip side, Bailey could thrive alongside the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette and everyone will be hailing him as a bargain.
Perhaps more importantly, though, is that if Arsenal manage to beat the likes of Chelsea and Man United to Bailey’s signature it would certainly send a message to the rest of the Premier League that the Gunners can still compete for the most in-demand players, despite not particularly being a real threat in the Premier League title race for some time now.
There seems to be a lot of confusion surrounding the future of Ipswich forward Paul Taylor this week with the former Peterborough man still unable to obtain a first team place.
What Mick McCarthy said at the weekend has actually been misinterpreted by reporters, with one going with the headline “Ipswich prepared to let Paul Taylor out on loan” and another reporter referring to the same McCarthy quotes going for the complete opposite headline “No plans to loan Taylor”.
After reading the quotes myself I am struggling to understand how anyone could think that the former Wolves boss wants to loan Paul Taylor out. So those of you who are big fans of Taylor shouldn’t worry too much, he shouldn’t be heading out on loan to another club any time soon and McCarthy has plenty of reasons to keep the frontman around.
First of all, he is a forward that has different attributes to the likes of Murphy, McGoldrick and Nouble. Taylor is an agile striker who will run at defenders, twist and turn around them and give the team a bit more finesse up front when needed.
Secondly, McCarthy has said himself that he would ideally like a bigger squad, so why would he want to loan anyone out? It makes sense to have two solid strikers in Taylor and Nouble as back up for Murphy and McGoldrick, especially when each striker can offer something different.
There could well come a time very soon when a first team striker gets injured or goes on a bad run of form, and this is when the Ipswich boss will give Taylor some playing time.
At the moment it must be frustrating for Taylor as he spent 11 months out injured last season and at his former club he was regarded as a key player. I am sure he won’t be too happy about only being a back up option for the Suffolk side, but he will understand why he is currently being left out.
After all just because a player has technically recovered from a severe injury, it does not mean they will instantly be back to their best. A lot of the time players never get back to their best after long periods of time spent out injured and the ones that do fully bounce back don’t always do so right away.
Taylor now has to revive his career slowly and steadily with patience being the key factor in his recovery. I am sure he will get his chance in the first team but that may not be for another month or two.
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All the player can do right now is make sure he works hard in training and makes the most of any first team football he can get. It seems likely that Taylor will be utilised based on the opposition and may get more playing time when Ipswich come up against slower central defenders.