Manchester United are in a good position to push for the Premier League title after snapping up Radamel Falcao and Daley Blind, according to former strike star Dwight Yorke.
The Red Devils cemented their place as English football’s top spenders yesterday as they paid big to loan the Colombian forward and snap up the Dutchman from Ajax to add to their ranks.
Just a week before Angel di Maria’s £59.7m arrival smashed the British transfer record, while Ander Herrera and Marcos Rojo have also been snapped up for big money.
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Despite the success off of the pitch, United have endured a woeful start on the field, with just two points having been secured from winnable games against Swansea, Sunderland and Burnley.
But Yorke feels that the positivity at the Theatre of Dreams and the long-term vision of Louis van Gaal will bring success:
“With the team the manager is building, I believe it is good enough to go and win the Premier League.” He is quoted by The Express.
“They are playing catch-up at this moment and they need to start getting results now, but if they can do that the confidence will generate and when that builds up you’ve seen what they’ve done in the past.
“There is no doubt in my mind Manchester United could go on to win the league from here.
“I know a lot of people will be questioning that, saying the new players need time to bed in, but these players are world-class players, not just players trying to fit into the football club. These players are that good that it’s easy to fit into the system of Van Gaal.
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“The players Man United now have at their disposal will send alarm bells ringing in the Premier League.”
West Ham United have received some bad press over the past six days, but they have now been praised for their rapid response in tackling the incident at Tottenham last Sunday.
A small group of supporters were heard chanting anti-semetic chants near the end of their defeat at White Hart Lane and the club has already banned an individual, while others were arrested.
The club issued a recent statement claiming they will continue to hunt down the individuals involved and punish them. Meanwhile their actions have been praised by Kick It Out.
Lord Herman Ouseley, Chair of Kick it Out said: “Kick It Out is encouraged by the swift action taken by West Ham United in the wake of Sunday’s fixture.
“Clubs have the power to show leadership and set an example for the vast majority of its supporters to follow in instances like this. Here, they’ve done exactly that.
“Kick It Out has seen first-hand the appetite the club has in embracing anti-discrimination initiatives, with David Gold and James Tomkins both acting as campaign ambassadors in 2012. By doing this they’re helping to send a message as to what is and what isn’t acceptable.
“It is clear they feel abuse of this kind won’t be tolerated and, in a period where the issue is high on the agenda, this approach is something we applaud.”
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Newcastle fans have been discussing some midfield targets for this summer, and fans are split over moves for two departing central midfielders.
Both Jack Wilshere and Badou Ndiaye will leave their current clubs this summer, and both players have been mentioned as possible targets for the Magpies.
Newcastle have been one of a number of clubs linked with a summer swoop for Wilshere, and the Arsenal man officially announced his departure from North London earlier this month.
The 26 year-old is undoubtedly talented, but injuries have hampered him in practically every season of his Arsenal career.
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Wilshere would be an excellent fit on Tyneside if he could stay fit, but unfortunately that’s an absolutely massive “if”.
Badou Ndiaye is another player being linked with a move up north, as Turkish Football claim the Senegal international wants to move to Newcastle.
Ndiaye was excellent in his short stint at Stoke, averaging an incredible 4.1 tackles per game.
The 27 year-old is great at carrying the ball forward, and could be a like for like replacement for the ageing fan favourite Mo Diame.
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Fans clearly can’t decide between the two targets, with the slight majority leaning towards the Stoke star.
Leeds United’s chances of securing a top-six finish in the Championship took another huge hit last Saturday when they were beaten 2-1 by Sheffield United in Paul Heckingbottom’s first match in charge of the club.
Considering the Blades are also looking to secure a play-off position and were only two points ahead of the Whites at kick-off, the result was particularly disappointing and left the visitors once again looking unlikely to be in the mix for promotion to the Premier League at the end of the campaign.
However, they do still have 15 matches left and an opportunity to close the eight-point gap between them and sixth-place Bristol City when they host the Robins at Elland Road on Sunday, and Heckingbottom will be looking to pick up his first win in order to move his 11th-placed team up the standings as soon as possible.
The Yorkshire outfit still have plenty left to play for this term despite their poor form in recent weeks – including a number of league defeats and getting knocked out of the FA Cup by League Two opposition in Newport County – and there are a number of their players whose futures are also in severe doubt right now.
Those individuals will be fighting hard over the course of the next few months to prove to Heckingbottom that they have a future at Elland Road beyond the end of the current campaign.
Here are three Leeds players that have 15 Championship matches left to save their United careers…
Pablo Hernandez
While the Spaniard has become a real fans’ favourite with Leeds supporters and has produced some magical moments in the past few seasons at Elland Road, his contract is due to expire this summer and there has been no progress with him signing a new one as of yet.
Despite his qualities, he turns 33 years of age in April and Heckingbottom and the club may prefer to bring in a younger attacking midfielder for the future rather than keep Hernandez.
The versatile attacker, who can play on either wing or in the No 10 role, was left on the substitutes’ bench in the defeat against Sheffield United last weekend, and that may be a sign of things to come to suggest that he needs to fight in the final 15 matches to extend his stay with the Yorkshire outfit.
Hadi Sacko
The French winger joined Leeds on a permanent deal during the summer following a successful season-long loan spell at Elland Road last season, but he obviously failed to impress Thomas Christiansen after barely featuring under him throughout the campaign.
The 23-year-old has only made 10 Championship appearances in total this term – with nine of those coming from the substitutes’ bench – for a total of 201 minutes, with the majority of his playing time coming in the FA Cup and League Cup.
He did come off of the bench against Sheffield United last weekend however, and he may need to prove to Heckingbottom that he has a future at the club if and when he is handed an opportunity in the final 15 league fixtures this season.
Pawel Cibicki
Cibicki was another that arrived on a permanent deal during the summer as Leeds looked to replace the goals of Chris Wood following his departure to Burnley, but like Sacko he barely had a look in under Christiansen.
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The 24-year-old has only made 12 appearances in all competitions – and made just five starts in seven outings in the Championship – and he already looks to have a fight on to save his United career.
The Swedish attacker – who can play as a centre-forward or out wide – was an unused substitute against Sheffield United on Saturday, and he will need to impress Heckingbottom if he is given minutes on the pitch in the final 15 league games, otherwise he could be on his way in the summer.
Early season struggles are usually to be expected for a newly promoted team, especially one which has made the significant transition from Championship to Premier League football.
Although Leicester City have surprised many with their promising start – their magnificent 5-3 victory over Manchester United being the highlight so far – Burnley have understandably had a tough time due to a glaring lack of quality in the squad and currently find themselves at the bottom of the table, a position which many believe they will occupy when the last ball is kiced in May. Leicester’s success aside, the expectancy is for teams that have climbed out of the second flight and into the promised land of the Premier League to discover that life in the top division is not as rosy as once imagined, and in this regard Burnley – as well as Queens Park Rangers, who joined the Clarets and Leicester in promotion from the Championship last season – are following the script.
However, there is a vast difference in the chances of Burnley and Queens Park Rangers of survival. Whilst relegation is the expectancy at Turf Moor, and it would be no shame if the Clarets did go down again, such a fate would be unacceptable for the R’s given their financial superiority over not only Burnley, but over a number of other established Premier League sides as well. That Rangers are struggling is a damning indictment of the current situation at the club, and indeed the way that it has been for a while.
News that the club could be banished to the Conference in the event of relegation from the Premier League if they fail to pay a hefty £40million fine incurred under financial fair play rules highlights the vast amounts of money that have been invested into the club since Tony Fernandes became the owner in 2011. Though Fernandes is an affable individual who genuinely cares for the club and who is respected by the fanbase – a rare breed of owner, no doubt – his naivety since taking over has perhaps been his one sin, and is something which he himself has acknowledged, stating in an interview following Rangers’ relegation from the Premier League two seasons ago that he felt that he had been exploited.
It isn’t exactly hard to see why Fernandes held this view. A calamitous season which ended inevitably in relegation is what Rangers had to show for his £50million investment, and although they have since bounced back at the first time of asking to regain their place in the Premier League, Fernandes has persisted in ploughing money into the club – a staggering 46 players have been signed since he became the owner three years ago.
In spite of Fernandes’ continued generosity, the initial signs for Rangers do not bode well. Their radical overhaul over the summer – which saw eleven players arrive and nine players leave – has echoes of their doomed expedition in the Premier League two seasons ago. A rapidly and expensively assembled squad lacking in cohesion was to blame then, and appears to be the cause of the R’s poor start now – seven of the team’s starting XI against both Stoke City and Southampton were new recruits over the summer, with Rangers amassing just one point from these two games. Such a significant remodelling of the team was always unlikely to yield immediate results, which is crucial in the Premier League.
To paraphrase Karl Marx, history repeats itself first as tragedy, then as farce, and this certainly appears to be the case at Loftus Road. By making the same mistakes as they did in their previous outing in the Premier League – namely a muddled, bloated transfer policy without a clear long-term philosophy – the R’s will receive no sympathy whatsoever should they get relegated again. For the money that the club has at its disposal, survival ought to be the minimum requirement, and in the eyes of clubs such as Burnley who can only dream of possessing Rangers’ wealth, relegation would see the London club get their just deserts.
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Ultimately, demotion to the Conference may not be such a disaster for Queens Park Rangers. Starting from scratch would serve as a humbling experience for a club which has tried to solve its problems, like too many clubs do in modern football, with money, money and more money.
West Ham midfielder Mohamed Diame believes he made the right decision by joining the club and is happy with life at Upton Park.
The Senegal international arrived in London during the summer after finishing his contract with Premier League rivals Wigan.
It’s believed that multiple clubs offered Diame a contract, but he rejected their advances to sign with the Hammers.
The 25-year-old feels he has made the correct decision and is delighted with life at the club:
“People did say ‘Why are you going to West Ham when you can play in the Champions League?’ but they can see why I did now.” he told West Ham TV.
“It is a very big club in England and I am very happy to be here, now I am hoping that our good performances will continue.
“That is why I came here. When I spoke to the club I knew they were trying to build a very good team.
“We are working very hard every day on the training ground and you can see it is paying off.”
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Diame first appeared in the Premier League during 2009, signing for Wigan from La Liga outfit Rayo Vallecano.
He spent three successful years with the Latics, before his contract expired allowing him to move to West Ham on a free transfer.
West Bromwich Albion are planning to launch a bid for Besiktas winger Jeremain Lens, according to Turkish publication Takvim.
What’s the word?
The Baggies are looking to make big changes to the squad in order to adapt to life in the Championship.
The club were relegated from the Premier League last season after finishing bottom of the standings, and they have a big task on their hands to gain instant promotion.
On Monday, Takvim reported that West Brom are eyeing former Sunderland player Lens, who only finalised his move to Besiktas in the last seven days.
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The 30-year-old spent last season on loan at the Turkish outfit, making 32 appearances in all competitions.
In that time, Lens scored four goals and created five assists before making his move to Besiktas permanent.
Is Lens the right fit for West Brom?
There is certainly a talented player in the Netherlands international, who has earned 34 caps over the course of his career.
However, he has had his fair share of controversial moments on the pitch and behind the scenes.
If the Baggies want to focus on a promotion challenge, they need very little outside distraction as possible.
There is nothing to say that Lens would be a disruptive figure, but the risk is there.
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On top of that, the winger had a difficult three-year spell at Sunderland, which could call into question his ability to thrive in the English game.
Despite this, Lens can provide versatility in that he can play on either wing or up front as a striker.
If West Brom can get the most out of Lens, then a move would be worth the risk.
As reported by The Daily Mirror, Manchester United have made fresh contact with representatives of Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri this week, ahead of the summer transfer window.
What’s the story?
United’s central midfield problems have continued this season and with the likes of Paul Pogba losing form and apparently losing the trust of manager Jose Mourinho, it’s more important than ever that the club attract the brightest and best of European football to Old Trafford.
One such player that the Red Devils seem to have their heart set on is Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri.
That’s according to The Mirror who say that the club have made fresh contact with the midfielder about a potential £35m move to Manchester this summer.
That fee is his buyout clause at Nice and the paper reckon that Mourinho sees him as the all-round package that can solve his midfield woes after sending scouts to watch him this season.
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Is he Pogba’s replacement?
The chatter around Paul Pogba’s future right now is reaching fever pitch after the midfielder was not started against Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League mid-week, but there’s no need to hit the panic button on his Man United career quite yet.
He might be struggling to adapt with Alexis Sanchez’s inclusion in the team, but he still has a big part to play at Old Trafford and the signing of Jean Michael Seri can actually enhance his performances rather than be a direct replacement for them.
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Seri is having a fantastic season at Nice and has the technical ability and drive to fight fires in the Man United midfield and move the ball on to their more creative talents, potentially freeing Pogba to have an impact on the game further forward.
Wayne Rooney is a walking, breathing and kicking football conundrum.
No one can doubt the Manchester United star’s pedigree – five Premier League titles, a Champions League title and a career return of 173 goals and 89 assists in 374 league appearances speaks for itself. Add an insatiable work-rate and baby-elephant-like charm into the equation, and many – but not all – will argue that you have a world-class player.
But what is Wayne Rooney? How can one best define him? Is he a striker? Is he an attacking midfielder? Is he a number ten? Is he a false-nine? Some even believe, including Sir Alex Ferguson, the 28 year-old’s best position could in fact be central midfield.
That is the nutshell of the debate surrounding Wayne Rooney. Although a world-class talent with a world-class CV, perhaps a victim of his own versatility and selflessness, he is not a world-class anything. His finishing is too inconsistent to be a world-class striker, his frame too stocky to be considered a permanent option out wide, his attention to detail too corruptible to be considered a genuine number ten of a worldly standard, his short passing too inaccurate to be trusted in a deeper midfield role at football’s highest level.
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Evidence of this was prevalent against Uruguay yesterday evening. Just consider the contrasting fortunes of Rooney and Luis Suarez over the course of the 90 minutes.
Not that the England international was particularly poor – rather, one goal, two more good opportunities to score, three successful dribbles and two key passes suggests he was England’s best player in the 2-1 defeat, especially considering the abject performances of Steven Gerrard and Phil Jagielka to name a few.
Yet the Uruguay star fared significantly better – the difference being that his two shots on target in the entire match resulted in two goals. Suarez has always possessed that seemingly divine clinical streak that’s shared by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi – not only in terms of his shooting but throughout his all-round game – Rooney however, does not.
He failed to take the opportunity of a hat-trick against Los Charruas, with his header ringing against the bar and his attempt to convert a Leighton Baines cross safely falling into Fernando Muslera’s hands, and let an equally fruitful chance, within the parameters of the box and Salvatore Sirigu at his mercy, wizz past the near post against Italy.
With that in mind, is it time we accepted that Wayne Rooney simply isn’t good enough at the highest level of the game?
Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of Wayne Rooney. The 28 year-old must be a manager’s dream – an endless work-rate, the ability to pull off the sublime, a positional flexibility spawned out of his exceptional attitude and team spirit. Over the course of 90 minutes, there is no doubt that Rooney contributes positively with remarkable consistency.
When he’s struggling to produce on the ball, he’s makes up for it with energy and defensive commitment, and vice versa; the England international always finds some way to favourably influence the match. That showed last night, when Rooney persevered until the 76th minute to find his first ever World Cup goal.
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But football is not a zero-plus-one-sum game. That is to say, it’s not simply a logical case of putting in more than you take away to assure success or victory. Football is about moments, and whilst Suarez embraced two yesterday evening, as he did for Liverpool on endless occasions last season, Rooney failed to do the same.
I’m not referring to goal-scoring ability alone. After all, Rooney was on the pitch to create as much as he was to find the net last night. But that in itself is an equally disturbing concern – moved into the limelight of a central position after having a limited impact out wide against Italy, the England international, although impressive in spells, lacked invention and ruthlessness. It’s incredibly telling that despite England boasting 61% possession, the Manchester United forward created just two opportunities for his team-mates to score.
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Perhaps in another England team, perhaps against different opponents, perhaps on a different night, perhaps at the end of a less disappointing domestic season, Rooney could have propelled England to glory last night with a hat-trick. But the 28 year-old has never been the talisman his country desperately needs. He’s never been the man who delivers when the Three Lions find themselves in a now-or-never situation.
When you look at Luis Suarez’ role in Uruguay’s win, or Robin van Persie’s for the Netherlands against Spain, or Didier Drogba’s for the Ivory Coast against Japan, or even Lionel Messi’s for Argentina against Bosnia, there is a notable, worrying difference.
Perhaps it’s time we all accept that in comparison to other players labelled world-class, Rooney just isn’t quite the same calibre.
West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster insists that the team are not getting carried away despite moving up to fifth position in the Premier League.
The Baggies beat Southampton 2-0 at the Hawthorns to go to within goal difference of the Champions League positions following a solid start to the campaign.
However Foster is adamant the team are remaining grounded despite their lofty position:
“It’s a cliché but we are really not getting carried away we are taking each game as it comes and we will just see where it goes,” He SkySports after the game.
“For the majority of the table I think there are 14 odd teams probably hoping to get to the 40 point mark and take it from there and we’re no different”
“We will get to that 40 point mark as soon as possible and see what games we have left.”
Two goals from striker Peter Odemwingie were enough to decide the game and leave the Saints rooted to the foot of the table.
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The Nigerian broke the deadlock with a deflected 25-yard effort to give his side the advantage heading into the half-time interval.
He then doubled both his and the teams tally in the 60th minute, heading in a pin-point cross from Shane Long.