Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will not become the new manager of Aston Villa, after deciding to stay in his homeland with current side Molde.
The former Manchester United forward has been one of the main contenders to replace axed Alex McLeish, and met with the Midlands club’s chairman Randy Lerner last week.
However, after negotiations with the Norwegian club, Solskjaer has decided to stay with his current employers for ‘family reasons’, reports The Telegraph.
Former Villa winger Tony Morley feels that Villa need someone more experienced than Solskjaer however to lead them to a better campaign next season.
“This is probably the biggest decision Randy Lerner has made since he took over at Aston Villa. He can’t afford to get it wrong.
“He’s got to go for someone more experienced than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Solskjaer might go on to be the best manager in the world in 10 years time but he’s never managed in the Premier League.
“We need someone who’s been there before or managed in one of the top leagues in Europe. Unfortunately, Solskjaer’s just not got the experience we need,” he concluded.
Norwich’s Paul Lambert and Wigan’s Roberto Martinez remain potential candidates for the role.
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Tottenham playmaker Luka Modric is believed to have handed in a written transfer request in a bid to force through a transfer to London rivals Chelsea.
In a tug of war between the two sides, the Stamford Bridge club have made £22million and £25 million offers for the 25-year-old, but Spurs have rejected both and are intent on keeping the Croatian at White Hart Lane.
The former Dinamo Zabreb player, currently on a pre-season tour with his current employers in South Africa, is keen on a move to Andre Villas Boas’ side however, and both The Telegraph and the Daily Mail state that he handed in the request to leave to chairman Daniel Levy on Wednesday night.
With Michael Essien facing a spell of up to six months on the sidelines following a knee injury, Chelsea are determined to strengthen in midfield, and are expected to come back with a £30 million bid, which Harry Redknapp’s team would find hard to turn back.
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The 2010/11 Premier League runners up have also been linked with a move for Scott Parker, with a year long loan deal from West Ham being speculated in the press. The Hammers are eager to secure a £4 million fee for the temporary move, and want the Premier League side to pay his £65,000 per week wages.
What every honourable cockney geezer needs, Michael Caine’s autobiography. As he talks his way through all his… well obviously not his wheeling and dealing as we all know how ‘Arry feels about that! Surely if there’s one thing a true Laaaaaaaandoner desires it’s the life of Laaaaaandon’s most recognisable face of the last few decades in his own words.
Perhaps this could be the start of a truly great friendship encapsulated by just how much they both want everyone to know which city they are from. And despite Michael’s West Ham connections I’m sure he would be welcomed at White Hart Lane, just like Harry himself was. The two can discuss tactics in the game that brought the third Reich crumbling down, Escape to Victory.
Obviously we are only talking in jest here, but if you picked out Harry Redknapp for secret santa what would you buy him? A new right back perhaps? Remember money is no object here?
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Arsenal have turned their attention to Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen, and will make the centre half their top summer transfer target, according to Mirror Football.
The Belgium international has been a major part in the Amsterdam-based club’s dominance in the Eredivisie over the last two seasons, and has captained the side this term.
Vertonghen has received rave reviews for his performances for club and country, with a raft of European clubs keeping an eye on the talented defender.
However, with Vertonghen entering the last year of his contract and eager to move to one of Europe’s top leagues, Arsene Wenger is hoping to secure his signing for a cut-price £7 million.
The fact that international team-mate Thomas Vermaelen is currently at the Emirates Stadium is thought to be off benefit to Arsenal’s attempts to sign Vertonghen.
The news comes on the back of Lukas Podolski’s signing being confirmed, and Wenger also has one eye on Rennes and France midfielder Yann M’Vila.
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Tottenham Hotspur could be about to make a last-minute move for Newcastle target Mevlut Erding, according to The Metro.
Erding was first linked with the Tyneside club last summer. The club have since sold Andy Carroll and are keen to bolster their attacking options, despite the acquisition of Demba Ba from West Ham.
Erding, 24, has been with French side Paris Saint-Germain for 2 years following a €9 million move from Sochaux. PSG have since signed former Newcastle target Kevin Gameiro and would now listen to offers for the Turkish International.
However, with Newcastle yet to agree a fee, Tottenham could move for the striker. Manager Harry Redknapp is looking to overhaul his striking options this summer after a disappointing finish to last season.
Erding has scored 28 times in 70 games for PSG. Despite representing France at Under-17 level he switched to the Turkish set-up and won the first of his 10 caps in 2008.
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Newcastle have also been linked with Swansea left-back Neil Taylor. With current left-back Jose Enrique stalling on a new deal amid interest from other clubs, the 22-year old Welsh international could be an ideal replacement.
The January transfer window always marks a frantic period in British football. Clubs vie for any acquisition that will hopefully slingshot them up their respective league to glory, safety or just mid table mediocrity. We take a look at the looming transfer window and the likely men to join the Premier League.
Firstly, Anderlecht forward Romelu Lukaku has agreed to join Arsenal. According to Talksport, “the 17-year-old is definitely leaving the Belgian club with the Gunners his destination, a coup for the club considering the Belgium striker has been coveted by Chelsea, Inter Milan, Barcelona and Real Madrid.” It is unknown how the Arsenal boss, Arsene Wenger managed to persuade the player to join the club. “Presumably it didn’t involve showing the youngster Arsenal’s trophy cabinet during his tour of the Emirates Stadium”
With Edwin van der Sar’s retirement in the offing, Sir Alex Ferguson has made no secret that he is in the market for a replacement. The most likely contender is 26 year old Swedish international Anders Lindegaard. Officials from Lindegaard’s club, Aalesund FK have confirmed they have spoken to Manchester United and both clubs are supposedly eager to complete the deal as soon as possible.
Rumours coming out Anfield would suggest Roy Hodgson is planning a transfer swoop for Valencia’s Juan Mata, with out-of-sorts Ryan Babel to be used as a bargaining chip. Liverpool have made their worst league start since 1953 and manager Roy Hodgson is under pressure to turn things around. It would seem Mata certainly has the talent to turn Liverpool’s fortunes around. “He hit 14 goals last season in La Liga and racked up more assists than any other player in the league, except Barcelona’s Xavi.” Reports on Spanish radio, suggest that Hodgson is likely to offer a £10m bid for the 22-year-old, using stop starter Ryan Babel as a make-weight.
Newcastle fans should be worried as rumours are apparently circulating under the surface hinting at the departure of their much loved centre forward Andy Carroll. Although already plying his trade in the Premier League, Carroll could leave Newcastle United following his problems off the pitch – and Tottenham are in pole position to land him. The striker is also attracting interest from Manchester United and Liverpool after a stunning start to the Premier League season. With such clubs interested should an acceptable bid come in for the self confessed Newcastle fan, would the offer he simply couldn’t refuse?
In light of Chelsea’s current injury crisis it is thought Ancelotti will be looking to strengthen and add some depth to his squad come January. With a number of players from Chelsea’s back line out injured, Roma’s French defender Philippe Mexes is said to be being coaxed into signing a pre-contract agreement with Chelsea in January, before pitching up at Stamford Bridge when his contract with the Serie A side expires next summer.
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So there you have it! Whether any of these players will find their way to Europe’s top league is a totally different question, however at this moment in time they seem to be the most likely to join us. Transfer rumours never stop circulating and it’s inevitable I have not mentioned others, so why not comment and let me know!
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At the start of this season, one of the many jobs Brian McDermott faced was naming a new captain. After the departure of previous skipper Matt Mills to Leicester, the position was open and there weren’t many stand out players to fit the role.
Names such as Mikele Leigertwood and young defender Alex Pearce were touted by the fans and only a few mentions of Jobi McAnuff were heard.
Once McDermott had announced the former Wimbledon man as his captain it is fair to say that a few eyebrows were raised. Jobi had only been a Reading player for two seasons and is not the type of player who is generally associated with wearing the armband. He is an extremely likeable character but I will admit that I am one of those fans who had a few qualms about his appointment.
The Reading FC website describes McAnuff as a winger who is a “full backs worse nightmare”. It is agreed among Reading fans that Jobi has been a good player for us, chipping in with useful goals; most memorably the third in our 3-0 semi final playoff win at Cardiff.
At the start of this season, like most of our players, Jobi was not playing with any confidence or belief. One game that stands out for me was the third game of the season, away at Portsmouth. We lost that game 1-0 and despite it coming off the back of a 2-1 away win at Leicester, we really did not play well at all. We lacked many things and one thing I particularly thought we were void of that night was leadership on the pitch. All the players were down and really did not look like a side capable of doing anything, hung-over from the play off defeat and I will admit that I thought we would be struggling against relegation this season!
The turnaround by the team throughout the season has come alongside the turnaround and growth of Jobi McAnuff in his role as captain. Jobi has chipped in with 5 goals but perhaps more importantly an impressive 11 assists throughout the campaign and has been an integral part of our championship winning team.
It is not only Jobi’s goal scoring and assisting that has impressed me in the second part of the season. His passion and leadership qualities have been on display throughout the promotion push. Every football fan loves a player who celebrates wins passionately in front of the fans and that is exactly what Jobi Mcanuff does.
He has really grown into the role and players seem to respect him a great deal. McDermott himself has spoken about how proud he is of his captain, despite people questioning his decision. McDermott said “he is vocal and leads by example”. Jem Karacan has also come out and praised his captain, saying “he has been a brilliant captain this season”.
Jobi did not make our final three in the player of the year voting (Adam Federici, Alex Pearce and Jem Karacan are the three) but the effect he has had cannot be overlooked. At the back end of the season he has been visibly vocal, passionate and lead by example with some great performances. He ticks all the boxes needed for a captain. He speaks well, is a role model on and off the pitch, is enthusiastic and has an obvious love for the game. With the championship wrapped up, media interest has picked up and Jobi speaks very well and intelligently and is a great representative of the club.
It took him a while to grow into the role and as said before a lot of fans were unsure about the original decision. Looking back, he has been a truly fantastic captain and player for us, often filling in at CM, particularly when Jem Karacan and Jay Tabb were forced off at Upton Park.
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I for one am delighted for Jobi and hopefully he will be a successful premier league player. He will surely relish leading his team out at Old Trafford and Anfield and if he takes the passion and leadership shown at the back end of this season into next season, he will do well. It has been another truly inspired decision by Brian McDermott; Jobi McAnuff has become a great captain and fully deserves to be leading the boys up to collect the Championship trophy on Sunday.
Tottenham have given USA goalkeeper Brad Friedel the opportunity to continue to play in the Premier League for the next two seasons. But at 40 years of age is this really the best option for Tottenham? After all there were alternatives that could have offered Premier League experience, but also a longer period of time to maintain consistency. The move for Friedel on a two year contract suggests that Tottenham feel the player can play until he is 42.
The American does offer experience and he is still an excellent goalkeeper with a high level of consistency. There is continued speculation over current Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes and this signing seems to suggest that the Brazilian will be playing his football elsewhere next season. It seems unlikely that Friedel would join a club at this stage in his career where he isn’t going be first choice.
Although, some may argue that there are younger goalkeepers out there – the bottom line is Spurs probably feel that they can rely on the American. After some of the mistakes Gomes has made they probably wouldn’t have wanted to take a chance on another goalkeeper that may not adept to the Premier League. Tottenham may also look over at Manchester United and recall the performances of Edwin van der Sar this season – the Dutchman may be retiring but clearly can still play at a high level at 40 years of age.
As an alternative to Friedel, Tottenham could have looked at Manchester City shot stopper Shay Given – who would appear to be available because he is behind Joe Hart for a starting place. At 35, he would appear to have more years to offer than Friedel, but we don’t know how fit he is after all he hasn’t been playing and has also had some serious injuries of late. Playing games allows a player to stay fit and perhaps could prolong their career.
Time will tell if this is the right signing for Tottenham and ideally you would want a player that could offer 4 to 5 years of service. Clearly Friedel cannot offer that, but he does bring experience and quality of the highest level to the table. Now if Tottenham are smart they will now look for a top quality young goalkeeper and aim to bring him into the club this summer. That way they can learn off one of the very best Premier League goalkeepers and be that step ahead when they take over from Friedel. It will also be interesting to see if Tottenham keep Friedel around after his retirement in some sort of coaching role.
So have Tottenham made the right decision on Friedel? Follow me on Twitter and let me know.
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If you were talk about the great youth academies in England, the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and West Ham United would be the first ones that come to mind. However, there is one side that has helped nurture plenty of Premier League talent – and I bet you haven’t even heard of them.
Dulwich Hamlet, who play in the Isthmian League Division One South (how about that for a mouthful), currently seven levels below the Premier League. However, a quick glance at a list of their former players reveals the true value of the club from Champion Hill.
The first name that jumps out is Tottenham striker Peter Crouch, who spent time on loan with the Hamlet in 2000. Although the loan spell lasted just six games, Crouch, who was just a teenager at the time, managed to score the first goal of his career. Ironically, the club that sent him on loan there was his current club Spurs. As we know, Crouch has gone on to have a great career, spending time with the likes of Liverpool, Portsmouth and Spurs – as well as a becoming regular member of the England side.
Moving down the list, the next name that you notice is Marlon King, who has recently signed with Championship side Coventry. King started his footballing career as a Youth with the Hamlet, before moving on to become a trainee at nearby Barnet. Along with spells at Gillingham and Leeds, King spent several seasons in the Premier League with the likes of Watford and Wigan.
Wolves’ defender George Elokobi is another player to have benefitted from the football education offered by the club. He spent just one season with Dulwich shortly after arriving in the country, before he was snapped up by Colchester. The left-back then moved to Wolves, who he helped gain promotion to the Premier League and helped them avoid relegation the following year. He has also recently been called up the Cameroon national squad.
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Burnley defender Leon Cort began his football career as a youth player at Champion Hill. After proving himself in the lower leagues with Southend, he went on to have spells with Crystal Palace and Hull. A loan spell at Stoke was made permanent and he played in the Premier League under Tony Pulis. He joined Burnley last year but suffered relegation from the top flight.
Norwich striker Simeon Jackson also began his career with the Hamlet. Moving to the country from his native Canada, Jackson joined Dulwich in an attempt to kick-start a career in England. A prolific career with Rushden and Diamonds helped earn him trials with Premier League clubs, but he settled for a move to Gillingham. After proving himself at League level, he joined Norwich on their return to the Championship earlier this year. He has also earned caps for Canada.
It’s not just modern day footballers that have progressed from Dulwich. Alan Pardew, who is currently known for his managerial career, can list the Hamlet as one of his first clubs in the mid-80s. A playing career included time with Crystal Palace and Charlton, before going on to have successful spells in charge Reading, West Ham and Charlton (again).
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Striker George Ndah, who is perhaps not as well known as some of the other names, also began his career with Dulwich. He went on to play for Crystal Palace and Swindon, before coming a cult hero at Wolves, before injury forced him to retire in 2006. Another retired player who started with Dulwich is Carl Asaba, who enjoyed success with the likes of Brentford, Gillingham and Sheffield United.
There are plenty of other players who spent time with the Hamlet and have gone on to play in the Football League. The modern game has seen young players move for millions, but it is important to remember the quality of players that could cost next to nothing, but prove to be priceless.
Gareth Southgate’s 3-1-4-2 system is perhaps the most innovative formation we’ve seen at the 2018 World Cup so far this summer. Against certain opposition, it’s given England a unique edge, exploiting the mobility of key offensive-minded players, while generating a style of football that has been far beyond what the Three Lions managed in previous tournaments despite having arguably superior players available.
Throw in how surprisingly unintimidating England’s potential opponents are on course to the final, especially when compared to the other side of the knockout tree, and an inevitable sense of optimism has grown around Southgate’s young side over the last few days. But how does England’s 3-1-4-2 stack up against the rest of the competition in this side of the draw? Who will it rip apart, and which countries are well equipped to exploit its idiosyncrasies?
Football FanCast’s tactical power rankings give an insight into who England should and shouldn’t look forward to facing as they eye a run to the World Cup final…
5th – Sweden
Wouldn’t there be something deliciously poetic in England being eliminated from the World Cup by a side that essentially play 4-4-2? In real terms, Sweden’s formation becomes more of a 4-4-1-1 with former Sunderland man Ola Toivonen tucking in behind veteran target man Marcus Berg. But the real fear here is how England’s fancy football holds up against a far less ambitious, far more agricultural side that are used to playing without the ball for long periods.
Sweden averaged just 41% possession in the Group Stages and scored only twice from open play, but managed to keep two clean sheets in the process. Although Tunisia dug deep, England haven’t really been faced with that kind of test yet – a highly physical and resilient side that will be relatively comfortable playing the game on the back foot.
Throw in England’s nightmare exit from Euro 2016 at the hands of another Scandinavian nation and the manner in which Denmark’s long throws upset Croatia so greatly, and Sweden could inspire a bit of an upset against the Three Lions.
4th – Switzerland
A talented team on paper but Switzerland’s exclusive use of 4-2-3-1 now feels a little out of date. Three-man defences are very much a reaction to that kind of setup and England’s wide players should be able to pin Switzerland’s full-backs relatively deep, which immediately cancels out one of their chief creative threats and technical talents in No.3 Ricardo Rodriguez.
Xherdan Shaqiri is their talisman though, having scored and assisted in the Group Stages, and his penchant for drifting inside from the right wing will inevitably create some confusion over which England player should be picking him up – Ashley Young at wing-back, Jordan Henderson in deep midfield or Harry Maguire from left centre-half.
However, from the 15 Premier League goals Shaqiri contributed to for Stoke last season, just one was against a team employing a three-man defence. If the statistics are anything to go by, good communication between Henderson, Maguire and Young should be enough to keep Shaqiri out of the game for long periods.
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3rd – Russia
Russia have defied expectations so far at the World Cup and there are two key reasons England could become another big scalp for the host nation in the coming rounds. First and foremost, they’re one of the most direct teams at the tournament with an average of 64 long passes per match, and it remains to be seen how an England back three modest in height will be able to cope with that kind of aerial bombardment, especially Kyle Walker at the back post. He could end up in a disastrous mismatch with Artem Dzyuba.
Secondly, from the five teams England could face before the tournament’s end, Russia are the only one to have already employed a three-man defence (albeit more of a five-man defence in practice) at the World Cup. That’s proved to be a bit of an achilles heel for Southage’s 3-1-4-2 setup: it inspired Nigeria’s second-half comeback in the first warm up friendly and was the formation Belgium used, albeit both managers setting out weakened teams, during England’s only Group Stage loss.
Russia miss out from featuring higher in the tactical power rankings though, for one key reason. They’ve already conceded twice from set pieces whereas England are one of the tournament’s most potent sides in that regard – netting four from dead ball situations in their opening two games.
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2nd – Croatia
Croatia were amongst the most dominant teams in the World Cup’s Group Stages and that centred around the immense quality in their midfield, particularly through Ivan Rakitic, Luka Modric and the wide men. As the tournament’s progressed, Croatia have done more and more to try and get Modric in the game further forward where his delicate passes can prove decisive, and that should be England’s biggest concern as well.
While the Three Lions have three centre-halves to pick off those kinds of balls behind the defence, Jesse Lingard and Dele Alli will need to sit deep and help Henderson out to ensure Croatia’s midfield doesn’t quickly take control of the game, while the wingers both like to drift inside – which could create real problems between centre-back and wing-back in the channels.
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The other side to that argument, though, is how Alli and Lingard could find real joy in making runs off the back of Modric and Rakitic. Both are forward-thinking players and although they’ll likely be anchored by a more defensive midfielder, Dejan Lovren and Domagoj Vida will struggle if Lingard and Alli get the chance to run at them.
1st – Colombia
Colombia’s formation bears similarity to Switzerland but some key differences and superior quality of personnel should make them more of a test for England, which showed in their 3-0 win over Poland as the South American side lined up with a like-minded three-man defence.
Perhaps the most crucial of those is Juan Cuadrado – whereas Switzerland’s wide players look to cut inwards, the one-time Chelsea winger has spent most of the World Cup hugging the touchline. That will give Young some key decisions to make in regards to the positions he takes up and how much he looks to push forward, and Trippier could end up facing similar problems on the opposite flank depending on who starts there. James Rodriguez likes to drift into midfield, but potential understudy Jose Izquierdo is more of a winger-forward whose initial instinct is to try and score goals.
That being said, should Raheem Stering drop deep as expected to form a diamond in the engine room, Jordan Henderson could get some joy as the spare man – especially if he can replicate the fantastic passing range he showed against Panama and Tunisia. But considering both of these teams have very similar strengths, particularly their ability to press high and exploit the mobility of the front four on the counter-attack, it looks set to be an incredibly open game.