Arsene Wenger is a man with an eye for talent. His managerial career has seen him hit upon some of football’s greatest bargains. Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Cesc Fabregas and so on – there’s a long list of players that Wenger signed who went on to leave their mark on the Premier League. But what about those who Wenger went after without success? Nobody knows young talent better than Arsene Wenger. As a result, the last decade has seen him discover some of the best young talent across Europe before these players even made it onto other club’s radars. The names on the list below are evidence that Wenger is able to sniff talent out before most others, even if he often doesn’t have the resources to acquire the players in question.
Click on the Arsenal Badge below to see the TOP 10
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
[divider]
Holy Crap – its live fantasy football! Become part of the Ipswich v Swansea match on Saturday and play Picklive for FREE Watch and bet live – spices up any game!
Celtic are one win away from the Scottish Premiership title after a 2-1 victory away to Hamilton Academical on Sunday.
The Hoops were again below the standards they have previously set under Brendan Rodgers but managed to dig out the three points to put themselves on the verge of a seventh successive title.
Brendan Rodgers’ side went ahead thanks to Callum McGregor before being pegged back by Rakish Bingham.
After the interval though it was substitute Leigh Griffiths who wasted no time in making a big impact, netting in the 46th minute to give Celtic a lead that they would hold onto for the win.
Supporters were delighted with Griffiths’ impact, with many believing he should be starting matches rather than coming off the bench.
Now he’s getting back to full fitness after a couple of months out, he’ll be eager to stake a claim as Rodgers’ number one striker.
The Scotland international is also closing in on scoring a milestone 100 career goals for the club, which would make him the first forward at the Hoops to do so since John Hartson.
Should he start next week’s massive semi-final vs Rangers?
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
During the tail-end of last season and the following summer, the St. Mary’s faithful saw their collective of popular names, from Adam Lallana and Luke Shaw to Mauricio Pochettino, become linked with high-profile moves away from the Saints.
Such promising form in the 2013/14 Premier League season sent shock waves around the rest of England’s footballing community, fuelling transfer stories and the next crazy money rumour ready to do the rounds. Whilst the last thing Southampton fans would want is for their current crop of stars to be similarly linked away from St. Mary’s, Ronald Koeman’s impressive start to life as Southampton boss seems to have done just that.
Koeman has been linked with a prestigious move back to the Barcelona by the Mail, a club that he once captained. As this is a move that would certainly be welcomed by the Dutchman, could such a dramatic deal really happen? And what would life be like for Southampton without their enigmatic leader?
What makes this story so believable is the affection that Koeman is held in around the Camp Nou. The former Feyenoord boss is just as much, if not more, of a favourite at Barcelona than he currently is with the Saints and an offer to return to Catalonia would be too good for almost any manager to turn down. Although half a season in the Premier League may seem like too short a time period to really get to know a manager, in today’s fickle footballing world, a half a season is often all it takes to seal an illustrious move to greater pastures.
The reported bust-ups with current Barcelona boss Luis Enrique and several of his main stars – most notably Lionel Messi – has helped add fuel to the Koeman fire. While there remain few concrete details about the supposed tension in the Barcelona camp, and there is always a certain amount of gossip around such things, the seed has nonetheless been planted regarding a managerial change at the Nou Camp.
However, The Daily Mail also reported that Koeman denied he will be making an immediate return to La Liga. Southampton’s Champions League push is thought to be at the forefront of his mind right now, and if the Saints can achieve the impossible and qualify for Europe’s most sought-after competition, the Dutch boss would be mad to leave a team that are so clearly on the up. They have defied all odds so far this season, and whilst several of the players and backroom staff were in place before their new manager’s arrival, Ronald Koeman deserves a huge share of the credit.
If the worst were to happen to Southampton however, and their main man leave for the glory of Barcelona, the South Coast side could be in a tough spot of bother to say the very least. Koeman is largely responsible for the new signings brought into the club, and if the likes of Graziano Pelle were ready to jump ship with him once already, who’s to say that their ties to the Dutchman wouldn’t give them reason to make another similar move in the future.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Ultimately the situation with Ronald Koeman, despite the seeming immediacy of the reports linking him to Barcelona, remains very much up in the air at this current stage. It swings on several different factors, with Southampton and Barcelona’s league form for the rest of the 2014/15 season likely to prove a major deciding factor.
Whilst a move away from St. Mary’s would certainly seem premature this season, if Ronald Koeman goes on to continue his impressive start to life in the Premier League, a move back to Barcelona would simply become inevitable, however harsh that seems on the Southampton faithful.
Premier League outfit West Ham United hope to re-sign Joe Cole in time for their FA cup clash against Manchester United, according to the Daily Mail.
With fellow league and London rivals QPR hot on his tail, Cole will have a difficult choice deciding whether to re-join the Hammers or be reunited with his first Premier League manager Harry Redknapp.
Since leaving Chelsea the player has had a tough time finding his feet, with an unsuccessful move to Liverpool and a fleeting Ligue 1 career on-loan to Lille last season.
Returning to Anfield after his French endeavour, Cole tried ardently to force his way into Brendan Rodgers plans, an attempt that has thus far been in vain.
Cole currently has 18-months left to run on his contract and it is believed that the player and Liverpool are in the midst of agreeing a severance package for his £90,000 weekly contract.
Redknapp however will provide the Irons with a little competition for Cole’s signature.
“I’ve got a lot of time for Joe as a player and as a person,’ he said.
“I’d like to bring Joe here if I can but the deal would have to be right for the club.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
“I’ll have to speak to Brendan Rodgers. We’ll have a chat when the time’s right,” he stated.
Everton fans are absolutely adamant they don’t want to move for Phil Jones this summer, after odds were slashed on the 26 year-old moving to Goodison.
Phil Jones is likely to leave Manchester United this summer, and the bookmakers have Everton as second favourites for the English international at 5/2.
Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof and Chris Smalling are all now ahead of Jones in the Old Trafford pecking order, and reports suggest Jose Mourinho will sign another centre-back this summer.
According to Oddschecker, 84% of all bets on the 26 year-old’s next club are on Everton, suggesting the odds could be cut even more in the coming weeks.
There is a history with Sam Allardyce as well; the Everton manager gave Jones his first breakthrough in football when the pair were at Blackburn.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Everton have had some woeful defensive displays this season, and fans have not been particularly impressed by the signing of Michael Keane or the performances of Ashley Williams, but they are adamant they don’t want Jones.
Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
Nigel Pearson’s Leicester City currently sit bottom of the Premier League table with just 10 points from a possible 45. Since Pearson took over for his second spell at the club in November 2011, he has no doubt been a major success story at the King Power Stadium. But after such a poor start to life back in the top-tier, should Leicester make the bold decision to part company with Pearson sooner rather than later?
Despite a very respectable start with back-to-back wins over Stoke City and Manchester United respectively, things have gone downhill pretty drastically at Leicester. When the Foxes followed up their impressive 1-0 away win over Stoke, with the incredible comeback win against Manchester United a week later, it looked as though Pearson’s side were more than capable of holding their own at this level.
But after a dire run of eight defeats in 10 Premier League games since, the Foxes have hit rock bottom of the league table – four points off safety. It’s always hard for a team that are so used to winning games in the Championship, to move up a level and start losing matches more often than not. The last two Championship winners – Reading and Cardiff City – have found the Premier League just too hard to cope with and have been relegated at the first time of asking.
Since Pearson took over at Leicester for a second time, he has undoubtedly improved the squad and indeed the style of football. In his three years back at the club, Leicester finished ninth then fourth, before winning the Championship title last season. After the heartache of losing the 2013 play-off semi-final to Watford in dramatic fashion, Leicester were by far the Championship’s best side last year and deserved to finally get back to the Premier League after a 10-year absence.
But we all know just how vicious England’s top-tier can be. Sometimes sacking the manager isn’t the right the thing to do. Last season, all three relegated clubs sacked their managers at some point in the campaign. It’s certainly a difficult decision for any chairman to make, especially when a manager has done as well as Pearson has over the years at Leicester.
Unfortunately for Pearson, it looks as though some of the fans are running out of patience. The Leicester boss recently had a run-in with a supporter after the Foxes 3-1 home defeat to Liverpool last week. Pearson allegedly swore at the fan after a heated exchange of words. The Leicester fan was said to have criticised the team performance after the loss.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
As we touched on earlier, there is no doubt that Pearson has done a terrific job at the King Power Stadium. He got his side playing very expansive football, and made them very hard to beat. But after such a poor start to life back in the Premier League, maybe he has taken them as far as he possibly can – and maybe the Leicester chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha should pull the plug while he has the chance.
Norwich’s 11 unbeaten league run came to a shuddering halt after Romelu Lukaku’s late goal snatched victory for West Brom at the Hawthorns.
Chris Hughton’s men hadn’t tasted defeat in the Premier League since losing to Chelsea at the start of October and, despite taking the lead, were undone by a late fightback from the home side.
The Baggies, who’ve stuttered of late losing three of their last four games, secured a vital three points that keeps them in contention for a surprise top-four finish heading into Christmas.
Despite having to defend resolutely as the Canaries opted to patiently keep possession Steve Clarke’s side soon got into their groove went close through a Lukaku header in the second minute.
The on-loan Belgium striker was the last player to score for West Brom over five hours ago and wasted another decent chance when shooting straight at goalkeeper Mark Bunn.
And those missed chances came back to haunt the hosts in the 23rd minute when Robert Snodgrass curled a free kick from the right into the top corner despite Ben Foster’s best efforts to keep it out.
Going behind energised the home side somewhat and Gareth McAuley was denied by Bunn from a corner, while Goran Popov lashed wide before they finally forced an equaliser to end their goal drought.
Chris Brunt’s corner was met by Jonas Olsson and when his header came back off the bar Zoltan Gera was on hand to volley the rebound into the net to level the game two minutes before the break.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Norwich came back out fighting in the second half and Michael Turner went close with a header after meeting Snodgrass’ cross, while Peter Odemwingie drilled a low free kick wide at the other end.
With the contest finely poised Lukaku stepped up to win it for Albion, beating Javier Garrido to Popov’s cross and head past Bunn from eight yards.
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has opted against pledging his future to the club, according to The Shield’s Gazette.
What’s the latest?
The Spaniard penned a three-year contract when he took over from Steve McClaren in March 2016.
The former Liverpool and Real Madrid boss was unable to keep the North-East outfit in the top flight.
However, he guided them straight back to the promised land by winning the Championship in the following season.
The club find themselves in another difficult position as they try to avoid relegation, but their campaign will be helped by Saturday afternoon’s 3-0 victory over Southampton.
According to The Shield’s Gazette, prior to the match, the manager spoke about his future and seemed rather coy with regards to the possibility of staying.
“Let me finish, let me do well, let us stay in the Premier League and then we can talk about the future.”
Should Benitez commit to Newcastle?
Not until the ownership situation is resolved.
In October, current club owner Mike Ashley put the club up for sale, much to the delight of the fans, who have had a tense relationship with the businessman.
However, the Sports Direct tycoon is yet to strike a deal with any interested parties, which leaves the club in limbo.
Benitez has been public about his frustrations during the transfer windows, and that could continue if Ashley remains at the helm.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
While fans will be disappointed by the Spaniard’s comments, they should understand that it would make no sense for him to pledge his future when so many things are uncertain.
The Magpies are five points above the relegation zone with eight games left to play.
This time last season, under the much-maligned David Moyes, Manchester United were four points and two places better off in the Premier League – so why isn’t current manager Louis van Gaal surrounded by the same kind of pressure that eventually forced out the Scot after just ten months at Old Trafford?
THE STATS
They say the stats don’t lie, and those published by the Daily Express yesterday afternoon are incredibly revealing. Courtesy of Opta, Moyes was beating the United incumbent on virtually all fronts after his first ten league games at Old Trafford.
Indeed, he recorded five wins compared to van Gaal’s three, despite facing Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea in the early part of the season. Moyes’ boys had netted 17 goals at the ten-game mark, one more than van Gaal’s Red Devils, and conceded one less goal than United’s 14 this season.
Their tackle success rate was almost ten per-cent higher at 82%, their shots on target ratio – 48% compared 44% – was also marginally greater and United were yet to see red this time last year. Under van Gaal however, both Chris Smalling and Tyler Blackett have already been sent for early baths.
Perhaps most telling of all, Moyes had spent just £27.5million on a single player as Carrington gaffer, Marouane Fellaini. In a single window, his successor’s splashed out over five times that much – including a record-breaking £59million deal for Real Madrid’s Angel Di Maria.
This is actually United’s worst start to a domestic campaign since Ron Atkinson’s regime in 1986, with Sir Alex Ferguson arriving as his replacement in early November, so in theory, van Gaal should be under even greater scrutiny than Moyes received last season.
But with the exception of some traditional tabloid scare-mongering, public criticism of the Dutchman is relatively subdued. Some, such as The Independent and The Telegraph, dare to claim van Gaal’s on the periphery of a crisis, but planes with banners over the skies of Old Trafford, or for that matter, the #LVGOUT hash-tag, are yet to appear on the horizon.
CHANGED EXPECTATIONS
Of course, the obvious difference between Moyes and van Gaal’s regimes is the level of expectancy surrounding them. Moyes took over a United outfit that had strolled their way to the Premier League title the year previous; van Gaal, on the other hand, is rescuing a sinking ship that didn’t even qualify for the Europa League last season.
Whereas the Scot was expected to oversee a resolute, earnest title defence – or failing that, retain United’s Champions League status – van Gaal hasn’t even discussed a target league position with chief executive Ed Woodward, according to The Independent.
Likewise, Moyes’ hellish ten months proved that the problems at Old Trafford stem far deeper than simply the man in the dugout. Ferguson’s monolithic stature, knowledge of the club, the Premier League and his world-class expertise were paving over the cracks for years. Fans know that quick fixes won’t return the Red Devils to their former glories, and that’s given van Gaal a lot of room for error.
PHILOSOPHY
There’s a real awareness that United and van Gaal, as a partnership, are still a work in progress. They’ve tested three different formations under the Dutchman, issued Premier League debuts to no less than ten players – including the summer signings – and despite spending £150million during the summer, will clearly be recruiting further in the next two transfer windows.
Shrewdly, van Gaal has communicated this clearly to the fan base. He warned it would take at least three months for his methods to prove fruitful, and the conscious, explicit soundbite of his opening press conference as United boss was simply ‘my philosophy’.
Moyes, on the other hand, was always an appointment of continuity. The superficial similarities between Moyes and Ferguson, in addition to him inheriting a title-winning side, limited the Scot’s scope to instigate wholesale changes in his ten months at Old Trafford.
That in turn created a perception of the 51 year-old as a manager lacking in vision, seemingly too overawed to take the club in his own direction, and eventually made poor results the only difference between his regime and the former.
PUBLIC RELATIONS AND LIFE AT A BIG CLUB
From the off, Moyes never looked comfortable at United, especially when it came to handling the media. United fans were used to Ferguson berating and banning journalists at will, blaming referees for defeats and producing the odd, sophisticated, sarcastic remark.
Moyes however, always appeared to be coming to terms with the added attention placed on him compared to the humbler, smaller surroundings at Goodison Park. From struggling to quash rumours of Wayne Rooney’s departure to Chelsea in summer 2013 to putting a 3-2 defeat to Stoke City in February down to bad luck, Moyes never replicated the confidence or fearful demeanour of his predecessor. With every wayward result, the Scot appeared more dishevelled, as if he hadn’t slept in months, and increasingly desperate – almost aware of the negative vibes he was giving off.
Compare that to van Gaal whom, even before arriving at Old Trafford, had a reputation as one of the most egotistical and eccentric managers in the business. He’s walked off the Dutch equivalent of Match of the Day, live on air, after discovering his customary punditry slot had been given to someone else, dropped his trousers and undergarments to the entire Bayern Munich dressing room and even benched Brazilian legend Rivaldo just weeks after winning the World Player of the Year award. He’s also referred to several journalists over the years, in addition to Chris Smalling on Sunday afternoon, as ‘stupid’.
They say sport is 90% psychological; whereas van Gaal’s personality and voice tends to fill the room, even in broken English, Moyes often resembled a school teacher conscripted into hosting a PTA meeting. Even in the early stages of his United tenure, it was clear Moyes’ public performances would never fully convince the media or the fan base.
LACK OF ALTERNATIVES
Even if van Gaal is on the verge of a full-blown crisis, he’s insulated by the fact there’s no longer a plan B for United. Rumours of the Dutchman overtaking from Moyes circulated as early as last Christmas, whilst Borussia Dortmund’s Jurgen Klopp and Antonio Conte of Juventus were linked strongly too.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Right now however, candidates to potentially succeed van Gaal remain few and far between – Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Conte and Klopp are all settled in their respective jobs – and following £150million of investment during the summer, pulling the plug now could well result in unprecedented catastrophe.
The squad has been forged in the 63 year-old’s image with his philosophy in mind; although another manager coming in is hardly unimaginable amid a Premier League climate where the average tenure is just over one year, it would clearly only set United back even further.
Joey O’Brien has declared his West Ham team-mates are aiming get back on track in the Premier League when they visit West Brom this Sunday.
The defender played in the Hammers side that surrendered a half-time lead in their defeat to Liverpool, for whom West Ham old boys, Glen Johnson, Joe Cole scored before James Collins put through his own net.
The east London outfit now visit the Hawthorns, hoping to pile more misery on West Brom, who are on a run of three straight defeats.
“Our aim now is to get back on track against West Bromwich Albion”, O’Brien told Sky Sports News.
“We want to take the points but it is a hard place to go and they have a good home record.
“Hopefully we can get a result but, as you saw against Liverpool, the top teams can produce little bits of magic and you are suddenly behind.
“I thought we played some decent stuff and created some good chances particularly in the first half down the right with Matt Jarvis. We looked good and that is what is disappointing because Liverpool did not play us off the park.”
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
West Ham will be without influential midfielder Mohamed Diame, who suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday’s defeat. The Senegalese joined Andy Carroll, Ricardo Vaz Te and Yossi Benayoun in the treatment room.
Midfield duo Jack Collison and Alou Diarra are on course to return from a long-term knee problem and thigh strain respectively, but are unlikely to recover in time for the West Brom fixture.