Wigan manager Roberto Martinez was clearly outraged by the performance of Danny Welbeck in Manchester United’s 4-0 demolition of the Latics at Old Trafford.
Welbeck won a penalty early on in the clash after he theatrically fell over a challenge from Ali Al Habsi and the England striker went on to viciously challenge opponent Franco Di Santo late on in the game.
Martinez is seen as a quiet and respected manager in the Premier League but Welbeck’s performance clearly pushed some buttons and sparked a livid reaction in his post-match interview with The Sun.
“He dived, he dived for the penalty.
“And the challenge by him on Franco was completely reckless. Under the new regulations, you can’t do that.
“I’m not blaming the referee for the scoreline but I’m looking for a little bit of fair ground on which to perform.
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“I have had three red cards in my last two games here. We don’t seem to be measured in the same manner as the team at home. Today’s penalty was as bad a decision as you are going to see.”
Andre Villas-Boas insists his Tottenham side’s failure to see out a win in Athens last night was not down to complacency.
Spurs had controlled most of the game and took the lead through a Michael Dawson goal in the first half, but Panathinaikos snatched a point with 13 minutes left when Giorgos Seitaridis played through Toche to poke home an equaliser.
But Villas-Boas rejected claims his team became complacent once they were in front.
He told Sky Sports: “I don’t think we were complacent. We have to give credit to Panathinaikos, they pressed much more and started to gain belief from that and that led to the goal.
“We were a bit sloppy in the second half. I understand the disappointment at not putting the game to bed, but in the end we congratulated the players because if it had been other way round, the whole perspective would have been different.”
Spurs are currently third in Group J and are two points behind leaders Lazio, but Villas-Boas is still upbeat about Spurs’ Europa League chances.
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“The ambition we set for this competition is to go to the final, to win the trophy.
“It is a trophy this club have won in the past so we embrace this tradition. We will try to qualify from this group and then take it from there,” he added.
As ridiculous as the stories are of high profile Real Madrid players like Sergio Ramos leaving the Bernabeu, they don’t seem to be going away quickly. Jose Mourinho has clashed with the senior Spanish players in the past, with Iker Casillas and Ramos notably squaring up to their manager. But is Sergio Ramos being driven out of Real Madrid, and could he end up in the Premier League?
Jose Mourinho’s bust-ups with players in the Real Madrid camp have been an ever-present theme since he arrived in Spain. There were small pockets of players who seemed to section themselves off from other groups, while the Spanish players were very much about keeping the traditions of the club.
Sergio Ramos’ act of rebellion against Mourinho—although it was painted in a totally different light later on—to wear Mesut Ozil’s shirt under his own did a lot to fuel further speculation that all was not right. There was plenty to talk about when Ramos rose up against his manager’s criticisms of the team’s defending against Barcelona. A Carles Puyol goal was questioned and Ramos was targeted as the player who should have been marking the Barcelona captain.
But it’s incredibly difficult to imagine this Real Madrid team and teams of the near future without Ramos. There’s no one better suited to the captains armband at the club after Iker Casillas, and Ramos’ move to centre-back along with his insistence on a high defensive line played a role in Real’s league success last season. Off of that alone, why wouldn’t the Premier League’s top clubs be plotting raids on one of Spain’s leading players?
How would it sit with the fans if Jose Mourinho stayed while Ramos left? For all the good work Mourinho has done and the obvious links to success he has, there are negatives. Focusing on youth, which many Real supporters want the club to do, is not something that Mourinho advocates. It stretches through his history at Chelsea and Inter Milan. The club’s cantera is arguably equal to that of Barcelona’s in quality and consistency, but many of the players are overlooked. Hopefully Alvaro Morata’s inclusion in the first team while change that going forward.
The relationship Mourinho had in Italy with the media is much closer to the one he has now in Spain. In comparison, England loved him. They lapped up his actions, quotes, those runs down the touchline: it’s all fantastic and makes for very easy living. But surely two out of three countries aren’t wrong. It’s not to suggest that Mourinho isn’t a strong figure and wanted in the Spanish capital, but he’s noticeably yet to win over 100 per cent of supporters and the media.
How do you ever begin to justify the benching of Ramos in comfortably the most high-profile Champions League clash against Manchester City? Results aside, there was plenty of reason to question Raphael Varane’s inclusion over the far more experienced Ramos. But it all adds in to this seeming war behind closed doors between the two.
Barcelona President Sandro Rosell also had another log for the fire. He highlighted that the Catalan club would not necessarily pursue the transfer of Ramos but “never say never.” The door is left open and Barcelona are one of a handful of obvious destinations for Ramos. But once again, how does that sit with the Real fans? It’s hard to see them ever really accepting Mourinho fully should he sanction the sale of one of their very best to their fiercest rivals.
We could look to a further struggle for total dominance on the part of Mourinho. He’s already seen off Jorge Valdano, he doesn’t really appear to take orders from anyone upstairs and has practically been given the keys to the Bernabeu. He wants to mould the club into a successful machine, and we’re sure to see a breakthrough in youth players somewhere down the line. The club needs greater success in the Champions League as well, and Mourinho has been the key to changing their fortunes in the competition in recent seasons. But with Mourinho you’re always going to ask if he’s in it for the long run. He may commit his long term future to the club but history indicates otherwise. Ramos being shipped out only to be followed by Mourinho within 12 months would be a thunderous hammer blow to the club.
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As is always the case, the Premier League’s best are sure to pounce when one of Europe’s finest becomes available, and there’s no doubt that Sergio Ramos is one of the finest defenders in Europe. But then ask why Real Madrid would even allow him to go, regardless of any apparent internal struggles.
With Real Madrid being the pressure cooker that it is, clashes such as this are always likely to come up. In fact, almost all of the big stars at Real Madrid have been mentioned in transfer stories. But I don’t see anything in it. Yes, there is something going on between Mourinho and the senior Spanish players, but it won’t and shouldn’t force a move from either side of the divide.
About a week ago there was clear division between the fans of Plymouth Argyle.
The Pilgrims had crashed to a dismal 2-1 home defeat by AFC Wimbledon and were only 3 points clear of the relegation zone in 19th place. The pressure was clearly growing on Carl Fletcher as many fans opted to boo the side off at half time.
Fast-forward a week and the pressure on Fletcher’s shoulders will weigh considerably less – for the time being anyway – after achieving back to back wins for the first time in his tenure.
Progression to the area quarter final of the Johnstones Paint Trophy and an emphatic 4-1 victory at rock bottom at Barnet have bought a bit of the feel good factor back to Home Park, which is exactly what is needed when you look at our upcoming fixtures.
Take our next six fixtures, which are just a handful in a tough calendar until virtually New Year. Home games against Rochdale, Burton Albion and Gillingham would be daunting enough as it is, but they are sandwiched between away games at Cheltenham, Rotherham and Fleetwood. What Carl Fletcher could do with is building on the two game winning streak we are on, but getting a victory in any one of those matches will be a real challenge in itself.
Our away form so far this campaign has actually been relativly impressive, with only one loss on our travels to date. Our home from though, has been borderline dreadful. Losing half of our home league fixtures and winning only one is simply not good enough and will need to be addressed sooner or later as we have some of the toughest away games in the league coming up.
If Fletcher wants to get more of the Argyle faithful back on side, it is simple what he has to do – make sure we win on Saturday. It won’t be easy against Rochdale, who have won four times away from home this season already, but if we can take our form from the last two games into the match then I believe we can get the three points.
Our current position of 18th does little to surprise me, despite noises made in pre-season from the chairman this season always seemed to be about stability and mid-table. However for many fans this is not good enough, they expect promotion this season. A victory this weekend could see us go within a couple of points of the play-offs, which is bound to silence some of the boo boys for a few games. The next few weeks are going to be far from easy for Carl Fletcher.
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A loss on Saturday could be disastrous, I don’t fancy our chances at Cheltenham and Rotherham off the back of a home defeat to Rochdale. However on the other hand, an illusive home victory could go on to shape our season, if we pick up some points against the better sides in this division those wild claims of promotion might actually seem a bit more believable.
For more Argyle talk, you can follow me on Twitter.
Scotland U21s manager Billy Stark has been asked by the Scottish FA to act as caretaker manager for the Scotland seniors’ friendly against Luxembourg next week.
Craig Levein was relieved from his post as Scotland manager on Monday following an abysmal start to their World Cup 2014 qualifying campaign.
The SFA have decided they will take their time in appointing the next national coach, with a number of big former Premier League names being linked to the vacancy including Kenny Dalglish, Owen Coyle, Graeme Souness, Gordon Strachan and ex-Scotland boss Walter Smith.
In the meantime, Billy Stark will be in charge. The Scot told Sky Sports News earlier today: “I’ve been asked to lead the team through the Luxembourg fixture and I will do so to the best of my abilities.
“Unfortunately [Craig Levein] didn’t get the results he wanted, but he’s pragmatic enough to understand the decision.
“A group of players will feel they’ve let the manager down as well, so my job is to try and galvanise them for the game next week.”
Stark was asked by reporters several times whether he was interested in taking the job on permanently but the former St. Mirren, Aberdeen and Celtic midfielder was evasive in his answers.
“I don’t know how the process works in terms of applications.
“As far as I’m concerned I’m going to lead the team next week and well take it from there. I can say categorically I’m not thinking anywhere beyond that.
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“My remit is to take the team through the Luxembourg fixture and that’s all I’m concentrating on.”
Stark has already made some changes to the Scotland Squad, leaving out Steven Caldwell, Danny Fox, Scott Brown and first choice goalkeeper Allan McGregor to bring in Phil Bardsley, Steven Whittaker and Kris Commons.
It’s not often that a comparison to a legend offers something of a double-edged sword, but if you’re Javier Hernandez, comparisons with former Manchester United star Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must give the Mexican more than an element of food for thought.
After coming off the bench to score a brace and force another during United’s 3-2 win away to Aston Villa on Saturday, you didn’t have to be much more than an armchair editor to conjure up the Sunday morning headlines. ‘Super Sub Hernandez’ adorned more than the odd back page during the weekend and wherever there is super sub and Manchester United within the same column, you can place a pretty safe bet as to who else may follow.
Indeed, the comparisons between Hernandez and Norwegian icon Solskjaer were somewhat inevitable following the Mexican’s exploits coming off the bench – not for the first time this season, either. The ex-Guadalajara man has netted eight of his 27 Premier League goals as a substitute for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men.
Solskjaer was of course famously once of the best in the trade at coming off the bench to score late goals for his side and putting Hernandez in the same bracket as the man who recently led Molde to their second Norwegian league title, is a deeply respectful compliment.
If Hernandez finishes his career with even half the trophy haul that Solskjaer attained – six league titles, two FA Cups, a Champions League and hero worship to boot – then he wouldn’t have done too badly, would he?
Indeed, the legend of Solskjaer is one that is often undermined simply by the term ‘super sub’, which is sometimes chucked around with more than an element of cynicism. Knocking in 126 goals in all competitions – including that goal in 1999 that inscribed his name into United folklore – for one of the biggest clubs in the world, is a remarkable feat, in whichever way you choose to look at it.
But there is of course, the other side of looking back at Solskjaer’s legend. The ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’ may well have been prolific in front of goal, but he wasn’t necessarily prolific on the team-sheet. Over a third of his 235 Premier League appearances constituted cameos from off the substitutes bench. Super sub might not be a derogatory moniker, but it certainly beholds more negative connotations in terms of actual game time, anyway.
You couldn’t imagine the ever-amiable Javier Hernandez publicly disposing of the term super sub in the way Manchester City’s Edin Dzeko recently did, not half because Fergie simply wouldn’t entertain it and he just doesn’t seem that sort of chap. But in some ways, there certainly wasn’t anything wrong with Dzeko’s statement of ambition. And while many have been quick to dispel comparisons between the Bosnian and Hernandez, they’re certainly not a million miles apart in their current predicaments.
Dzeko recently stated: “I will never be a super sub. I want to play.” It might not be one that United fans will give any particular credence to. But just because Solskjaer was happy to spend a third of his Premier League career for United sitting on the bench, it doesn’t mean that Hernandez necessarily will.
It’s easy to become alarmist when evaluating the fortunes of a striker in Hernandez or Dzeko’s situation, as the fickle finger of fate that is the beautiful game, can strike at any minute. All it would take is an injury to either a Robin van Persie or Sergio Aguero, and the chance is there to seize the initiative within the first team.
But Hernandez’s striking gifts feel like they constitute more than being used as an effective outlet against tiring defenses. His pace and seemingly supernatural instincts will always prove a formidable prospect when introduced against fatigued bodies and minds in a game’s dying moments. But in his 94 performances for United in all competitions, he has already racked up 40 goals. He isn’t far off a hugely impressive one in two strike rate and if you consider the niggling injuries that disrupted what was only his second season in English football last term, it really is a fantastic feat.
Although considering the path to the United team is blocked by the almost insurmountable figures that are van Persie and Wayne Rooney, not to mention an added bit of competition in the guise of Danny Welbeck, then it’s difficult to see how barring an injury to one of the most prominent pair, how he will consistently start for United.
Fergie’s brief experimentations with Rooney at the tip of a diamond formation, had opened up a striking berth in the starting XI, but given the mixed results it served up, it seems difficult to see how that would become a permanent fixture. Ferguson has an embarrassment of attacking riches at United but as Hernandez demonstrated again on Saturday, should he look to tinker with Rooney in an even deeper position, it must be the Mexican, not Welbeck, who steps up to fill the position.
Javier Hernandez doesn’t complain, he doesn’t whine and he certainly doesn’t kick off when he’s left out of this Manchester United side. A model of grace and professionalism, he simply gets on with the job and if Ferguson deems it worthy to leave him on the bench, as we saw on several occasions last term, he doesn’t need to worry about the Mexican banging on his door.
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Yet although the mercurially talented Rooney and van Persie are rightly ahead of him in the pecking order, don’t think for five minutes that Hernandez isn’t capable of plying his trade week in, week out, for a massive club.
Solskjaer’s time on the bench at United was nourished by an unprecedented haul of trophies at Old Trafford. Maybe it’s only with such unworldly success that such a talent can be kept happy playing his role in the squad, rather than just the first team. Whether the same will beckon for Hernandez, it is perhaps too early to tell.
Is Hernandez the next Solskjaer? Join me on Twitter @samuel_antrobus and let me know what you think.
Danny Welbeck believes that Olympic 100m World Champion Usain Bolt should train with Manchester United.
The Jamaican is thought to be keen to play professional football and has publicly stated his desire to do so with the Red Devils.
Manager Sir Alex Ferguson has previously said that the sprinter could take part in a friendly fixture against Real Madrid in the future, in what could be a lucrative move for the Old Trafford club.
Welbeck has said that he would love the chance to train with Bolt and believes that he should consider a trial with the club:
“He should come over and trial,” he told United’s official website.
“He should come and train and show us what he’s got.
“He’s the fastest man in the world. He’s one of a kind and I admire the way he prepares for his races.
“He’s a real character.”
United are currently enjoying a successful Premier League campaign, moving six points clear of local rivals City at the top of the table.
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Welbeck is happy with the team’s on-field performances, but feels that they must continue to work hard:
“To go six points clear and to do it in a Manchester derby was a great boost for us. We won’t be too complacent, though. Every single point counts.”
“Walcott Sign Da Ting” might possibly be my song of the year, although “One Pound Fish” would be a close second. Comedy tunes aside, the fact Theo Walcott is yet to sign a new contract at Arsenal despite now being a matter of days away from January 1st, when other clubs can offer the winger a pre-contract to sign him for free in the summer, is no doubt worrying Gunners fans.
Walcott made his reluctance to extend his contract at the Emirates well known at the start of the season, citing that he feels he deserves a better wage, and that he would like to be considered predominantly as a striker instead of a winger as his main reasons for not signing on the dotted line. But, is there an underlying problem here? Does Theo Walcott feel unappreciated by his club, and for that matter, has Arsene Wenger shown enough faith in him?
The 23-year-old has really dispelled some myths this season. In the past, Walcott has been judged on his weaknesses rather than his strengths by the majority of football fans, including myself. At this point, it’s well known and has been continually pointed out by TV pundits, most memorably Alan Hansen, that Walcott is somewhat lacking in terms of intelligence whilst on the football pitch. His lack of composure and poor reading of situations often leads him to make the wrong decision, and a lot of the time he seems to forget to use his best asset – his electric pace – and attack around his full-back, opting rather to cut inside too early whilst in possession. Since arriving at Arsenal in 2006, the England international has been labelled as inconsistent to say the least, and is often considered to be a better bench option, as his pace can change a game in an instant, than deserving a place in the Gunners’ Starting XI.
This season however, Walcott has by far been Arsenal’s most consistent player, and unlike many of his team-mates, the winger certainly can’t be accused of putting in passive performances. His goal record is outstanding, with 11 goals in 18 appearances in all competitions, and on top of that Walcott has got himself seven assists. For those of you that aren’t maths wizzes, thats 18 goals in 18 games that Walcott has been directly responsible for. Despite this impressive feat, Arsene Wenger has continually chosen Aaron Ramsey over him out wide, despite him being a central midfielder by trade, and up front the Frenchman has gone for Gervinho – who couldn’t hit a corpse with a shovel at the minute – and Olivier Giroud, who’s had a decent if unceremonious start in English football.
Looking back at Walcott’s career, it’s difficult to understand why he’s been given such a hard time. Last year, he finished up with 11 goals and 10 assists, and the season before he netted 13 times and provided nine goals. Part of the problem has been the fact Walcott has been a regular at Arsenal since he was just 17 years old. He’s still three or four years away from reaching his footballing peak, but has already received criticism for his supposed lack of ability. I can understand the disgruntlements, especially from Arsenal fans. The England man has a knack of wasting good opportunities to score, and his crossing and passing often leaves a lot to be desired. But whether he plays well or badly, it would be unfair to accuse Walcott of ever showing a lack of commitment. This season especially, whilst the rest of the team have been mediocre, he’s played with a desire and aggression that has helped him produce some storming performances, including his romping of Reading in the Capital One Cup.
Arsene Wenger has tried to bury the hatchet with his want-away winger, openly telling reporters that Walcott deserves the wage demands he’s been asking for. But as Wenger himself has very often argued – It’s not all about the money. There appears to be this expectancy with Arsenal fans that Walcott owes them to sign a new deal, and his dissidence is somewhat unwarranted. A story released today by many newspapers has Wenger quoted as saying “I feel as well that I bought him at 17 years of age and spent a lot of money on him…Somewhere along the line they need to give back to the club what the club has given to them.”
You can understand the French gaffer’s frustrations, the number of players who have turned their backs on the club to better their own careers, no matter how much blame you decide to place on Wenger for that, has been a direct cause of the club’s current drop in quality. Furthermore, it is hard to believe Walcott would be in the position he’s in now without Wenger paying £5million for a 16 year old, which could eventually rise to £12million. But Walcott doesn’t strike me as a careerist; he’s just tired of being overlooked.
Even the winger’s dad once described him as a one-trick Pony, but that singular skill that Walcott possesses – his incomparable pace – makes him capable of making a difference against any defence, regardless of quality, and tactically having a player with such speed is a huge benefit; it not only dictates how your opponents must play, but it also provides a reliable outlet in counter-attacking. Any searching ball played over the top essentially gives Walcott a half-chance of getting through on goal.
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The fact that Manchester United and Chelsea are two of the clubs who appear most interested in singing him, along with Liverpool, speaks volumes in terms of how valuable Walcott could be to a team. It’s doubtful the Englishman would instantly command a place in either the Chelsea or United starting line-up, but considering both clubs are title challengers, his ability to impact any game has been widely recognised by the Premier League’s elite.
It’s not a case of money with Walcott, in fact the impression I get is that he’s one of football’s nice guys, he just wants some love and not be viewed as a speed-donkey. Walcott has been a great servant to his club, and despite not yet reaching his best years, has had a positive impact on the first team over the past few seasons. It’s time he was viewed at the Emirates as a real contender, with a regular place in the side. He deserves it more than many of his team-mates, who continually keep their place whether playing good or bad. And finally, the Gunners will certainly miss him when he’s gone.
Yesterday, it was reported by the Daily Mail that Arsene Wenger missed out on signing Tottenham man Jan Vertonghen because the French manager planned to play him as part of the Arsenal midfield.
The former Ajax defender, who opted to sign for Arsenal’s local and league rivals instead, has been in fantastic form this season and was clearly a steal at just £9.5million considering the outrageous fees players are bought and sold for now days – West Ham’s Matt Jarvis was £1million more expensive yet the defender has equalled the winger’s goal tally so far this season.
The phrase “Arsenal’s loss is Tottenham’s gain” comes to mind, and that is fairly symbolic in regards to the situation surrounding the fierce rivals. The Gunners may have the first half of the season’s bragging rights, having dominated over Spurs with a 5-2 drubbing in the North London Derby – although Tottenham were arguably playing better than their opponents before Emmanuel Adebayor got overexcited and earned himself a red card, just minutes after netting against the Togo international’s former club – but Arsenal have gone from a team underperforming to a club in disarray over the past few weeks whilst Andre Villas-Boas has been quietly going about his business at White Hart Lane.
Despite the fact the Portuguese coach remains unable to provide a formula that allows Spurs to take points off the Premier League’s top three clubs – although he did break the club’s winless Old Trafford curse – the Londoners find themselves five points off third spot, and are just three goals short of fourth place Everton. Steffan Freund, AVB’s right hand man, announced earlier in the season that the club currently have their best opportunity to end Arsenal’s 18-year dominance over North London. I doubt he believed that would be due to the detriment of the Gunners as pressure grows on their under-fire boss, but nether-the-less his prophecy could come true by the end of the season.
Not that it’s all over for Arsenal, they may be in meltdown at the moment following some dismal performances and their shocking defeat to Bradford City, a team that cost just 7.5k to put together, but at least domestically they are hardy in dire straits, being just two points off fourth spot. Then again, Gunners fans are spending yet another year slowly moving further away from being a legitimate part of the title race.
Back to Jan Vertonghen, Arsene Wenger has missed out on a good player, and forming a regular partnership with former Ajax and current international team-mate Thomas Vermaelen would have been a relishing prospect. The defenders are just two members of Belgium’s golden generation that has taken the Premiership by storm over the past few seasons. Furthermore, he would have been a much better alternative to Per Mertesacker, possibly the slowest footballer to ever play in the Premier League and a consistently average performer – hardly what the Gunners need right now.
Wenger’s supposed proposal to play Vertonghen in midfield is interesting, but is hardly the first time the Frenchman has made such a curious suggestion. Shifting players around has worked in the past, with the most obvious examples being Thierry Henry and Robin Van Persie moved up-front despite originally being considered wingers, and Kolo Toure was once a midfielder.
But in other instances, it hasn’t worked. The front-line used against Bradford in the Capital One Cup featured three players out of position. Lukas Podolski is capable of playing out wide but is technically a forward, whilst Gervinho was used as a striker but is in fact a winger – proven by another horrendous miss during the second half (there are so many now the Ivorian international could have his own Christmas bloopers DVD) – and Aaron Ramsey is a central midfielder who was used on the right wing.
More alarmingly, during a debate over Wayne Rooney’s role in the Manchester United first-team as part of the press’s recognition of a decade passing since the young Evertonian’s wonder striker propelled him to footballing fame, Wenger agreed that the United forward’s game had slowly developed into him becoming more the most forward element of a midfield three as oppose to being up-front, but the Frenchman then told reporters that “Personally, I prefer him as a striker”. I think Rooney’s 71 assists for United, whilst also managing 27 goals last season from a deeper role, as well as his hard-working defensive contribution rubbishes Wenger’s notion.
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Once again, I digress. “Arsenal’s loss is Tottenham’s gain” is a phrase that speaks volumes when considering both club’s transfer policies, an aspect of Wenger’s management that has come under scrutiny recently. This summer Spurs signed four players from other Premier League clubs; Clint Dempsey, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Emmanuel Adebayor and Moussa Dembele – and in fact apart from a few anomalies, all of their squad have previous Premier League experience with other teams. Excluding Mikel Arteta, the whole of the Arsenal team are imported from foreign leagues or youngsters purchased from lower division clubs. Scott Parker is a classic example, it was rumoured that the Gunners were interested in the England midfielder following West Ham’s relegation, yet he rather unsurprisingly ended up at White Hart Lane.
It is also a notion that will have very real consequences at the end of the season. Although I would never suggest it’s a simple two-horse race for the final European qualification spot as it has perhaps traditionally been, with Everton and West Brom firmly in the mix for a Champions League finish, and some have quite optimistically tipped Liverpool for a post-Christmas revival to lift them up the table, it seems it will eventually come down to the two North London clubs to battle it out for fourth spot.
Earlier this year, Wenger told reporters that coming fourth as a minimum requirement wasn’t simply in order to beat their rivals, but perhaps it should be. With this season all but over for the Gunners already, letting Spurs finish above them would truly spell disaster for Wenger. He should always remember considering the close proximity in location and in the table between the two clubs that Arsenal’s loss will always be Tottenham’s gain.
Tottenham target Leandro Damaio is unlikely to leave Internacional during January, according to his agent.
The Brazilian has been strongly linked with Spurs for some time, with manager Andre Villas-Boas thought to be a fan of the striker.
Some have speculated that a deal could be concluded later this month, with player believed to open to a move to the Premier League.
But, his agent Vinicus Prates has played down talk of his client moving clubs, dismissing any links as mere speculation:
“I have not received any offers, I can assure you.” He is quoted by Brazilian newspaper Zero Hora via talkSPORT.
“It is normal to see rumours because he is a fashionable player in Europe but I don’t think he will leave in January because he is happy at Internacional and under contract until 2015.”
It has been reported that the White Hart Lane-based club are preparing a £15m bid as they look to add to their threadbare attack.
With Emmanuel Adebayor set to represent Togo at the Africa Cup of Nations, Villas-Boas will be left with Jermain Defoe as his only senior, centre-forward option.
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This has prompted rumours that the Londoners may dip into the transfer market, however a move for Damaio now appears to be unlikely.