All posts by h79snht.top

It’s fortunate that Joel Campbell has landed at a club currently competing for a place in next season’s Champions League. Don’t get me wrong, Real Betis are not good enough to perform on two fronts, particularly one which is UEFA’s top club competition, but this challenge near the top of the La Liga table can only be a good thing for Arsenal’s Costa Rican striker.

The thing about Joel Campbell is he’s yet another name to arrive at Arsenal with plenty of promise, only for supporters to need to wait a couple of years to see him in the first team. This one could go a bit sour like the case of Carlos Vela, who has pleasantly finally found a home at Real Sociedad. In fact, there are far too many similarities with both strikers, where another disappointing outcome is very likely.

Campbell has done very well to work his way into the starting XI of Pepe Mel’s side. He plays on the flanks of the front three and has two goals, one of which was a stunning effort against Deportivo, and an assist up until this point. At 20, those aren’t really the numbers of a player who is destined to be a prolific forward, but he makes up for it in other areas of this game.

The thing is Campbell had a very difficult time settling in at Betis. As is normally the case with players from South America, international duty has been a frustration for his manager in Seville and in disrupting his development and progression to regular first-team status. It’s nothing to do with his attitude or lack of willingness to learn, but the long flights away for meaningless friendlies really haven’t done anyone any favours.

Will that be problematic for Arsenal in the future? You’ve got to think that it will be to some degree. And let’s not get confused about this: every major club in Europe currently has to deal with the matter of South Americans leaving for international duty; that’s nothing new or central to Arsenal. The problem arises when the player’s maximum hasn’t been reached because he often flies out and misses training sessions or matches.

Real Betis have been excellent for most of the season and Pepe Mel’s side could very well finish fourth in May. So it’s worth asking if he can put faith in a player like Campbell when he’s so regularly away from the squad.

Well there’s an upside. As mentioned, Campbell has been featuring regularly for Betis in recent weeks. He has shown on occasion just why Arsenal made the move for him, despite failing to be granted a work permit. He’s a hard worker and has the intelligence and technique to excel in any of the top European leagues.

The other problem with Campbell, however, is you’ve got to wonder how much attention he’ll be given when he does return to Arsenal. Like most players his age he needs regular first-team football and the opportunities to grow. At this stage, he is not better than Theo Walcott, and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain’s most eye-catching performances for Arsenal have outshone anything Campbell has done so far in Europe. But it doesn’t mean the potential isn’t there. However, Carlos Vela’s lack of opportunities at Arsenal didn’t mean his potential wasn’t there either.

When talking about the youngsters on Arsenal’s books, it’s worth comparing Campbell with Thomas Eisfeld and Serge Gnabry. From what has been suggested, both German players are the leading names in the next wave of youngsters at the club. Gnabry began receiving rave reviews almost as soon as he arrived at the club, and those who have seen Eisfeld’s cameos in the first-team would have been greatly impressed. Both Germans seem to have the potential to go even further than Campbell when they mature, and both should be seen as the diamonds in the Arsenal reserves. In fact, even Vela I’d argue had greater upside to his game than Campbell.

But let’s not assume that Campbell is going nowhere in his career. He will definitely need another loan move next season in order to continue his development. He, like Walcott and Vela, wants the central striker role. He was spoken about very highly in the Costa Rican youth teams and could blossom into a good goal scorer in Europe, however maybe not an elite player.

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I have my reservations as to whether he will make it at Arsenal. Recent history suggests he won’t, and it’s often easy for the manager to neglect players like Campbell when they’ve been away for so long. But maybe that’s for the best. The fact that the player is now playing for Betis and helping them to the highest possible place in La Liga – just to point out, they’re well ahead of city-rivals Sevilla in the league table – means there will be others in Spain who would love to take him on loan or on a permanent transfer.

There is a good player in Joel Campbell, but the need for success and better performances on the pitch, among other factors, could mean he won’t be given a chance next season at Arsenal.

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Barring a collapse from two of the London clubs, and a near perfect run in form for Brendan Rodgers’ side, Liverpool look set to miss out on the Champions League spots this season. Although it wasn’t a realistic target to set in the Northern Irishman’s first year in charge, there will still be fans mumbling about how they miss playing against Europe’s best.

With seven games left in the season, Liverpool should be aiming for 6th place. Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea are fighting it out for 3rd and 4th, as Manchester City should have the quality to hold on to 2nd. This means one of the three London clubs that misses out on the Champions League spaces will take 5th place and will play in the Europa League next season.

So Liverpool’s realistic target should be 6th place, which would mean finishing above Merseyside rivals Everton. But in the summer, Rodgers will need to strengthen his side in the summer if they do want to make a push for the top 4.

Rodgers will have a shortlist of players that he will consider buying in the summer to strengthen Liverpool’s Champions League chances.

Click on Victor Valdes to see some of the best transfer options for The Reds

Roberto Martinez is looking to make history this weekend and bring Wigan their first bit of silverware in their history. The Spanish manager says he will only savour the occasion, if they win.

“Finals are important games that you can only enjoy if you achieve the result that you want. Everyone is very proud of the achievement of getting to the final and nothing will change that. Qualifying for the Europa League has been a big target for us since I arrived at the football club, and I made sure that everyone knew that we were working towards that. Once you reach a final you can only enjoy it, savour the day and savour the occasion, if you win it. “

Martinez is under no illusion of the task facing Wigan this Saturday and is hoping to finally be on a winning team against City for the first time since taking the Latics job.

“I am because the team is playing well at the moment. Yes, Manchester City are the favourites and rightly so, but I feel that every time we have played them of late we have been very close to getting a positive result, we were especially unfortunate the last time we played them. There is a big difference between playing against a team like Manchester City and being a good team or a winning team, that’s probably what we have missed so far and that is the challenge for the final. We know we can play well against Manchester City but now the next step is to be a winning team against Manchester City.”

For more insight from Roberto Martinez and other leading managers plus exclusive Premier League highlights go to www.yahoo.co.uk/sport

Everton have had one of their most successful seasons under David Moyes, having beaten their curse of either starting or ending their campaigns in poor form and set to finish in 6th place in the Premier League, a place above local rivals Liverpool.

But unfortunately for the Toffees, their efforts have been blunted slightly by a lack of firepower up front, with the club’s two strikers Nikica Jelavic and Victor Anichebe totaling just 13 goals between them this year.

No doubt, it will be Everton’s first port of call in the summer transfer window, whether David Moyes will extend his tenure at Goodison Park or move on to pastures new.

As always, the tight budget on the blue side of Stanley Park is always the issue when it comes to new recruits. Therefore, we’ve created a short list of forwards on low wages with affordable price-tags that the Toffees could bring in without breaking the bank.

Click Here or on Arouna Kone to reveal the Five strikers Everton could sign on the cheap.

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Sunderland boss Paolo Di Canio is ready to offload Stephane Sessegnon this summer, as he look to fund a radical overhaul of his squad, according to reports from The Mirror.

The Benin international is widely regarded as one of the Black Cats’ star men, and has been one of their standout performers during the past couple of seasons.

But, Di Canio has deemed the 29-year-old to be surplus to requirements, and is willing to accept an £8million fee.

This has alerted Marseille, as well as Chinese duo Shanghai Shenhua and Tianjin Teda, who have both made approaches.

With the potential money received for a deal, allied with a suspected £11m for Simon Mignolet who is set to join Liverpool and £4m for Lee Cattermole who has been linked with Hull and Stoke, Di Canio is confident that he can rebuild the team he inherited.

The Italian is said to be keen on drafting in a number of new faces, including USA international Jozy Altidore, who was impressive for AZ Alkmaar last season.

Both Alfred Duncan of Inter Milan and Manchester City youngster John Guidetti are on his wish list, and could be the subject of serious bids in the coming months.

Would selling Stephane Sessegnon be a bold or foolish move for Paolo Di Canio?

Join the debate below!

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Tottenham have not enjoyed the majority of the summer transfer window so far. They’ve been desperately trying to cling onto Welshman Gareth Bale, and the necessity to sign a striker is an ever-present shadow over AVB and Daniel Levy which simply refuses to go away.

It seemed likely that Aston Villa’s Belgian striker, Christian Benteke would join the likes of Defoe, Adebayor and recent signing Chadli, however a sudden U-turn saw him his contract at Villa Park. It seemed Levy had been unwilling to invest the amount being requested by Villa for their striker, and this was the main cause behind the change of heart.

However, with recent news emerging that Spurs are pushing to sign Valencia attacker Roberto Soldado, and for a price similar to that of Benteke’s valuation, it has caused quite a furore on Twitter among Spurs fans, but also the football community. Why is Levy happy to shell out for a 28-year-old when he refused the younger Benteke?

Here’s what the Twitterverse had to say about the debacle…

Manchester City did quite well this weekend, eh? Manuel Pellegrini’s men effectively annihilated the league’s, so far, most greedy defence, making a shambles of every pre-match tip of a close encounter. Tottenham may feel the result was slightly unfair, as the stats hardly reflect the utter humiliation of a 6-0 score line, but essentially we need to give Man City credit for their immense striking force.

At the start of the season, I felt that the blue Mancunians were favourites to the title as they strengthened their squad in key areas. Fernandinho, who spent far too long tearing the Ukrainian premiership apart before anyone grabbed the opportunity, provides a creative anchor while simultaneously releasing  Yaya Toure from his shackles of defensive responsibility. Alvaro Negredo was received with inexplicable doubt. Only in England could a striker with his scoring record be received with scepticism. But most importantly, I believe Man City acquired an asset that gives the team a completely different attacking dimension.

Jesus Navas claimed both the first and the last goal in Sunday’s demolition at the Etihad Stadium. Although his performance against Spurs, with two goals and an assist was near perfect, I believe we are yet to see the best from the little Spaniard. There’s always going to take a certain amount of time for players to adapt when moving to a new country and Navas has had a slow start to his season. But as the season wears on, and Pellegrini must rotate to keep his players fresh, his contributions will become more and more crucial to City’s campaign.

Manchester City are not short of striking options. Even before they signed Navas and Negredo, they could field two almost equally strong attacking fours, and on their bench on Sunday we found Edin Dzeko, whilst David Silva is still unavailable due to injury. But despite the abundance in their, frankly, frightening attack, there has been something missing for City going forward on occasion this season. At times, City have become far too narrow. Their wingers – Silva, Samir Nasri and possibly James Milner – all have a tendency to jam into the centre of the park. This is where Pellegrini will draw great pleasure from having a player like Navas at his disposal.

Unlike City’s other attacking midfielders, Silva in particular, Navas is a premium example of a winger. Although the Blues aspire to play a very modern style of football, with a creative attacking three that tucks in behind a striker, they will draw huge benefit from the versatility that Navas presents. Rather than searching for the play through the middle, Navas sticks to the side-line. He’s in his element when he is put one on one with the full-back and can sprint for the by-line to make an inch perfect cross.

That is the strength City need to utilize are they to take full use of Navas. The challenge of facing the 28-year old is terrifying for any left-back. He prey on the defenders obligation to restrict his passage inside, and open the wide area. Every full-back in the league knows that they have no choice when a wide player receives the ball in their half. But when that space near the corner flag opens up, there is simply no stopping Navas. He will get a cross in nine out of ten times, and with strong aerial players like Negredo, Dzeko and Aguero up top, the probability of the winger getting and assists tips in City’s favour.

If Pellegrini can find the answer to his away form issues, I can’t see anyone claiming the title ahead of Manchester City. They have the best squad player for player, and their record at the Etihad is already mind-blowing. All they lack is that little bit alternative when goals are coming easily.

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With Jesus Navas, they have exactly that.

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The home side could have had eight, had their finishing been sharper, it was that sort of performance.

It was Tranmere’s turn to face the second placed team in League One, their five-one win over a very good Coventry side. This maybe added a seed of doubt about the evenings result in the minds of some Wolves fans. Thankfully, that doubt was cleared by half time. We saw a Wolves side utterly dominate a frankly awful Tranmere side.

Like the introduction suggests, Wolves could have had eight, statistically we could. Twenty five shots were amassed by the home side, eight of which were on target. It was a sparkling performance, which began with a blunder by the man between the Tranmere sticks. After Wolves had carved out some half chances, shots from Griffiths, Doyle and new signing, Michael Jacobs, tested Fon-Williams early on, but the aforementioned three found it really difficult to connect properly with ball, in order to test the ‘keeper sufficiently.

Wolves looked very tidy in possession, Tranmere were applying zero pressure to the ball, letting their opponents do what they wanted, basically. The owness was on Wolves now to finish them off, Tranmere were there for the taking. The goal game on seventeen minutes, Leigh Griffiths found himself with in acres of space through the middle, he looked up and hit what was, in reality, a rather weak shot, that most ‘keepers would have dealt with comfortably. Not Mr Fon Williams! He watched Griffiths’ shot all the way and then preceded to let the ball roll underneath his body and trickle into the back of his own net.

Nerves were settled and the home side could go and enjoy putting their mark on the game. They duly obliged, minutes after the goal, Sako’s first cross was in was cleared away, only for the mercurial Parisian to be given the time and space to hit another low cross which Kevin Doyle squandered, Wolves were turning up the heat, despite the wintery conditions. The captain, Sam Ricketts, then went on a Danni Alvesesque run down his right hand side, beating players seven or eight years his junior, with ease. His run brought him to the Tranmere penalty area, where his shot blazed a few feet over the crossbar, the fourteen thousand people inside the Molineux sat there agog at what they just saw, a thirty two year old making runs that any South American wing back would be proud of.

Wolves really were piling on the pressure now, Tranmere were struggling to deal with the almost tidal attack on their defence. Kenny Jackett decided to go with two attacking midfielders, Edwards and Macdonald, with Jacobs and Sako occupying the wings. The only change made since the frustrating nil-nil draw against Brentford, was the introduction of the attacking full back, Scott Golbourne, for Matt Doherty. Tranmere made just the one change in the defensive department, Taylor was replaced by Goodison at centre half, surprising Rovers made any changes considering their emphatic and rather unbelievable result away at Coventry, beating the Sky Blues five-one. Hatrick hero Ryan Lowe started up front, with former Albion player, Jason Koumas sitting just behind. Akpa-Akpro, the only Rovers player to register a shot on target, played on the right, with Kirby operating the left hand wing.

The lively Michael Jacobs saw an opening in the Rovers defence and drove forward with the ball, his low ball was cleared to an oncoming Sako, ‘shoot!’ was the cry from the crowd, Sako instead took a touch and hit a low drive that brushed inches past Fon Williams’ goal. Minutes later, the home side executed a training ground move from an indirect free kick, culminating in an out swinging cross which was cleared away.

Minutes before half time, Wolves took all three points.

After yet another Wolves attack, Sako took the resulting corner which Dave Edwards effortlessly glanced his header in from outside the six yard box. Even with forty-five minutes to go, the crowd knew that three points would be theirs. Two goals up, game over. Rickets then went on another lung busting run down the right, almost identical to the previous one, sadly, the finish was identical. Rickets’ shot blazed over the bar and the referee called time on a dominant first half.

The second half began with the replacement of the mercurial goal scorer Leigh Griffiths  for the less mercurial Jake Cassidy. Soon after his introduction, Cassidy was slipped through one on one with Fon Williams, ten yards out, Cassidy put it wide. There is a lot of talk about Cassidy, some argued, myself included, thought it was him that should have gone out on loan rather than his fellow striker Liam McAlinden. Jackett obviously rates him and has persisted with him, but if Cassidy wants to break up the fruitful partnership of Doyle and Griffiths, he has to put chances like this away. Fon Williams spread himself, he narrowed the angles and all that jazz, but Cassidy should have made a better decision, lofting over the keeper maybe.

Rovers then registered their first attack, Akpa-Akpro flashed a low shot wide, to the left of Ikeme’s post, the first time in the game that the Wolves ‘keeper had been properly stretched. Ikeme then rolled the ball out to Batth, who maruaded forward into the Tranmere half, Batth gave the ball to Golbourne, he knocked it back into Jacobs who dazzled his way through the Tranmere defence, his last touch was that bit too heavy and it went out of play, to the frustration of the Derby man and the Wolves fans.

Wolves were doing all sorts of driving, this time it was Kevin Doyle in the proverbial driving seat. The Tranmere defence were left back peddling again, Doyle ran a good thirty yards before squandering a great chance to really put the game to bed, and Fon Williams did well to tip the ball out after Doyle used a sledge hammer (his right foot) to thump the ball at the net. The resulting corner saw Bakary Sako hit the ball into row-z, not able to get his head over the ball and thus squandering another chance.

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Sako made amends soon after, Wolves hit Tranmere on the break and the French men’s low shot was spilled by a busy Fon Williams, Cassidy went to pounce but his former Tranmere team mate claimed the ball.

Tranmere, wanting to make amends, made two changes, Kirby and Koumas were replaced by Bell-Baggie and Sodje, Ronnie Moore wanting to gain some pride back for his side who had been outclassed by their opponents. Cassidy had another two headed efforts which went wide, it was good to see him working hard and not letting his head drop, but he really needs to start being more clinical in front of goal.

Wallace then chalked one up for Tranmere, his low drive was screwed miles wide, almost going out for a corner, summing up the away teams night really, hapless. Doyle then had two good chances, one saved by Fon Williams, then next shot was blazed high and wide. Jackett then went defensive with a few minutes left, Jack Price replacing the excellent Michael Jacobs, who rightly went off for to a standing ovation, his contribution as good as James Henry, made sure that the Milwall man was not missed. In the dying minutes of the game, Sako was slipped in but yet again Fon Williams prevented Wolves adding a third. Not that it mattered as Wolves eased to all three points.

Wolves will surely face sterner tests this season, starting with a game away at crestfallen Peterborough who will surely want to arrest their recent slump, what better way to do it? In front of your home crowd against the top of the league. The tough draw against Brentford is but a distant memory, Wolves go into the Christmas period with the best form in the league, timing could not have been better, both Orient and Peterborough are suffering ‘wobbles’, its Wolves’ time to assert their dominance on this league, and show them whose boss.

Aside from the record transfer sale of Gareth Bale last summer, Tottenham’s recent transfer market activity has been ambitious and forward thinking. Daniel Levy appears to have a clear vision for the club as he looks to shake off the unenviable title of great underachievers that Spurs seem to carry year on year.

Premier League form has been patchy, but if Spurs want to have a tilt at the top it will be about building upon rather than dismantling what they already have.

With this in mind, entertaining offers for the club’s most coveted stars would be in my view pretty fruitless. Naturally big money offers are always tempting, but if Spurs want to progress they need to change recent habits and hold onto their most valuable assets. Such resolve may well be tempted during the current window.

According to Le Parisien, PSG consider Spurs’ England international Kyle Walker to be the ideal replacement for the injured Christophe Jallet and will make their move later this month. Monaco’s interest has been known for some time but, with no concrete bid made, they could lose out to their title rivals.

Whether or not the 23-year-old ex-Sheffield United star would be happy to trade London for either Paris or Monaco is a separate issue, and really Spurs shouldn’t be allowing these advances to get anywhere near that consideration.

Walker is a man that divides opinion amongst the Spurs faithful, for some a total liability and for others an undoubted talent. Based on this seasons form, an ever improving and maturing Walker should be placed in the latter category. He is now miles ahead of his understudy Naughton in terms of development, and fans will be glad to see the Englishman adding defensive solidity to what is already a classy attacking game.

Given the fraught search for a left back at Spurs, fans will be well aware of the limited pool of top level wing backs in the world game. Whereas with midfielders you may be able to replace someone quite quickly, in the case of Walker you would be struggling to re-invest the money you make on the player effectively. When we talk about big money for full backs, we are talking £20m mark, and given Spurs’ recent reluctance to sell stars I cannot see this offer even registering with Levy.

Tottenham have for too long been given the tag of a selling club, and if they truly do have ambitions of being something more than thar they need to end this habit fast. The sales of Carrick, Modric and Bale may well have looked good on the balance sheets, but when it comes to footballing success you just have to keep your best players. You can’t place Walker in this bracket yet, but in the future there is a real chance that he could become a leading figure for both club and country

Selling Walker would be a loss anyway, but actually Spurs’ attitude to any advance is a lot more important that just that. It sends a real message out to other clubs.

What happens when Barcelona come swooping for Sandro or Madrid look to snare Paulinho?

They may be underperforming, but Spurs undoubtedly have a plethora of talent on their books and really this January window may just set an important precedent as to how the attitude has changed on a boardroom level.

Do Spurs really have the stomach to put football first and bank balances second?

If Levy is really serious this approach shouldn’t even be a matter of price, flatly refusing to even enter into negotiations about star names would for me represent a huge step up in the club’s transfer policy.

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Although the Champions League dream has died, Everton fans will still be delighted with Roberto Martinez’s debut campaign on Merseyside. While some feared the Toffees may have suffered with the exit of long-serving David Moyes, the club have excelled and secured fifth place in the Premier League.

Through a combination of astute acquisitions and the progression of young talent, Martinez has moulded a promising attacking side that already reflects his own managerial philosophy. After such a successful season, it is inevitable that the media have linked a number of Everton’s key performers with big money moves in the summer. Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman, as well as emerging starlets Ross Barkley and John Stones, are all rumoured to be interesting some of the division’s elite.

Despite these media links, it surely is a little premature for the two English youngsters to genuinely consider leaving Goodison Park.

Granted, there is a feeling that Everton will struggle to replicate their achievements next season. Martinez needs to keep the vultures circling his squad at bay whilst attempting to replace their impressive loan stars. At the same time,  Manchester United and Tottenham will surely strengthen significantly in the summer in order to close the gap that has emerged to the Toffees.

But for Barkley and Stones, both of whom are at a crucial stage of their footballing development, there is no better place to continue their progression than under Martinez’s tutelage at Goodison. The Spaniard has managed their integration into the first team perfectly and will continue to afford them the opportunities to grow in a system which evidently suits both starlets.

Speaking about both players as well as Coleman, Martinez described the development of the youngsters as the “biggest success story” of Everton’s season. With a manager that clearly believes so strongly in the pair, why should Barkley and Stones consider continuing their immediate footballing development anywhere else?

It is a similar situation to the rumours that have been circulating Southampton’s eighteen year old Luke Shaw following the Saints’ impressive form in the current campaign. Having enjoyed a breakout season, Barkley has been linked to pretty much every leading Premier League side, including a speculative £38 million move to rivals Liverpool. Stones has filled in admirably in the latter stages of the campaign and a fee of £20 million has been mooted, with Chelsea and Arsenal reported to be keen on the former Barnsley defender.

Martinez addressed these growing rumours recently by stating “we do not have to sell.” But with such exorbitant sums being discussed, surely there is always the chance that Everton could be persuaded to cash in on one or both of these starlets?

Whilst Wayne Rooney managed to make a success of his move from Goodison at a young age, the transfer of Jack Rodwell should serve as a warning to the current Evertonian pair of the dangers of moving too soon. Still at Manchester City, Rodwell’s promising development has stalled considerably at the Etihad since moving in 2012.

Money and the lure of Champions League football is a tempting proposition for any footballer. But it should not be forgotten that both Barkley and Stones, despite all of the acclaim, are still incredibly raw young talents. Martinez rested Barkley for a period earlier in the year after a slump in form, whilst Stones has only really broken into the first team fold in the last few months. Both starlets, for their respective footballing developments, require at least another season under their current manager in the safer environment that Goodison Park affords them

With some England fans desperately championing for the youngsters’ to make it into Roy Hodgson’s World Cup squad, the Everton manager’s comments on the matter aired caution in the face of these mounting expectations. Whilst stating that he would be pleased if either get selected, the Spaniard stressed the need for both to be looked after and managed carefully in the international set-up.

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It must be said that there have been no suggestions that either Barkley or Stones have had their heads turned by the rumours. But with the starlets’ current trajectory, it is almost inevitable that the pair will eventually look to move on to bigger and better things.

The time for that though is not this summer.

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