Tag Futebol

Kenny Dalglish looks set to reignite his interest in Adam Johnson in January with the hope of sparking some creativity into Liverpool’s midfield.

The Anfield club’s start to the season has been fairly inconstant and Dalglish would see Johnson as an exciting addition, bringing an extra dimension to their wide play.

Liverpool were heavily linked with former Middlesbrough player during the summer and it has been rumoured on footybunker.com that the deal could finally be pushed through in January.

Roberto Mancini has always expressed enthusiasm for Johnson and has said he wants to keep him at the club.

But being on the fringes of the team and only making fleeting substitute appearances has done nothing for the promising wingers career, especially his international hopes with the European Championships in Ukraine and Poland next summer.

When he has played for City he’s been impressive and it seems a waste for such a talented player to not be on the pitch as regularly as possible.

Since taking over at Anfield, Dalglish has actively sought young British players, including Jordon Henderson, Charlie Adam, Andy Carroll and Stuart Downing, therefore Johnson would fit this ethos perfectly.

The asking price is rumoured to be around the £10-15m mark, well worth it for an England international and such a signing would undoubtedly prove popular with the Anfield faithful.

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Read more of Christopher Dyer’s articles at the excellent Transfer Tavern

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Cruzeiro opened their Copa Libertadores campaign in style by thrashing Estudiantes de La Plata 5-0 on Wednesday.

A tight contest was expected between two of last season’s quarter-finalists, but forward Wallyson put Brazilian hosts Cruzeiro in front within the first 60 seconds of the Group Seven match at the Arena do Jacare.

Roger made it two on 17 minutes and Argentine champions Estudiantes found themselves 3-0 down when countryman Walter Montillo breached their defence in the 38th minute.

Midfielder Montillo struck again to put Cruzeiro 4-0 up just before the hour mark and Wallyson also finished with a brace after completing the scoring at 5-0 eight minutes from time.

The emphatic win sees Cruzeiro top Group Seven on goal difference ahead of Colombian side Deportes Tolima, who beat Guarani on Tuesday.

Union Espanola salvaged a point thanks to a last-minute penalty in their all-Chilean Group Four clash with Universidad Catolica.

Hosts Union went ahead through Leonardo Monje two minutes into the second half at the Estadio Santa Laura, before Lucas Pratto levelled for the visitors.

Five minutes later midfielder Fernando Meneses gave Catolica the lead and they looked to be heading for an important opening victory, before Braulio Leal equalised from the spot in the 90th minute.

Reigning champions Internacional of Brazil opened their title defence with a 1-1 draw away to Ecuadorian club Emelec in Group Six.

Internacional, who beat Mexican outfit Guadalajara 5-3 over the two legs of last season’s final, took the lead through Mario Ariel Bolatti in the 79th minute at the Estadio George Capwell.

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But midfielder Fernando Gimenez rescued a share of the spoils for the hosts with an equaliser in the 90th minute.

In the other match in Group Six, second-half goals from Miguel Martinez and Ricardo Esqueda helped Chiapas of Mexico secure a 2-0 win over Bolivian side Wilstermann.

In Group One, a brace from Heber Arriola and a German Alemanno strike gave Peruvian champions Universidad San Martin a 3-0 win away to Colombian title holders Once Caldas.

West Ham have been shedding the dead wood from their playing squad since Gianfranco Zola’s departure ahead of new man Avram Grant’s arrival. The club won’t continue any interest in on-loan Middlesbrough forward Mido after he failed to score in his paltry nine appearances for the Upton Park outfit.

I think it is about time Mido accepted he is not good enough for the Premier League as it just isn’t for him. The Egyptian has played for a host of Prem clubs such as Tottenham, Middlesbrough, Wigan and most recently the Hammers.

Mido had enough about him to attract the attention of Tottenham in the first place and did pretty well whilst he was on loan to the north London club from Roma in 2005. He was signed on an 18-month loan deal and initially impressed scoring three goals in eleven appearances in 2004/05 season and 11 in 27 appearances the following season, which was enough for then manager Martin Jol to sign him on a permanent deal for around £5.6 million.

It all started going wrong from there and the player showed his true colours as a poor professional. Jol described him as being “irresponsible and disrespectful” when Mido claimed that former Spurs player Sol Campbell was the easiest defender he had ever played against whilst the former England defender was playing for Portsmouth.

Well, Mido must have been one of the easiest forwards for the Premier League defenders to face as the 27-year-old only managed to score 14 goals in 76 games (in all competitions) from 2006/07 to 2009/10 whilst plying his trade in England’s top flight.

It’s not just at club level the player has had problems either as he clashed with his coaches at an international level also. Marco Tardelli was the first to have problems with the forward and dropped him from his squad in 2004 after the player played a friendly for Roma, despite ruling himself out of international duty due to injury. After Tardelli was sacked the Egyptian FA made Mido publicly apologise for his actions before he was allowed back into the team. He also had a bust-up with Hassan Shehata after Mido reacted poorly to being substituted in the 2006 African Cup of Nations semi final against Senegal…even though the guy that came on for him Amir Zaki scored with his first touch and put Egypt into the final. Although he patched things up with Shehata he was handed a six-month suspension.

It is doubtful that anybody should take their chance on such a character again in the Premier League as he has an awful attitude and lacks the ambition to make it at the top level in England.

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Spanish giants Barcelona are closing in on a move for Arsenal midfielder Alex Song according to reports in the Catalan press reports The Independent. 

According to daily papers Sport and Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona’s sports vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu and director of football Raul Sanllehi flew into London on Tuesday to finalise a deal, and it is believed it could be completed within hours.

Reports have claimed Arsenal turned down an initial bid of €15 and are hoping to hold out for over €20 million. However it is believed Barcelona will get their man for a fee of between €18 and €19 million.

The deal would see Song reunited with former teammate Cesc Fabregas, who made the same switch from North London last summer.

There has been no official word from Barcelona on the transfer, but Javier Clemente, who was Song’s International manager with Cameroon from 2011 to 2012 believes Song would fit into new coach Tito Vilanova’s plans perfectly according to ESPN.

“He is a player with some things from (Seydou) Keita and some from (Yaya) Toure. For me he has more imagination in attack,” Clemente said.

“Physically he is very strong, dynamic, he works very hard and is very good technically. He is at Barca level.”

Barcelona are confident the deal will be tied up in time for their first La Liga game of the season against Real Sociedad at the Nou Camp this weekend. The Cameroon international will become only their second summer signing, following their move for full back and Euro 2012 star Jordi Alba from Valencia.

Arsenal fans, who are still preparing themselves for life without Robin Van Persie, will not welcome the news.

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Song, who provided countless assists for the Dutchman last term, is a firm fan favourite at the Emirates, and even the news that Rennes’ midfielder Yaan M’Vila has been lined up, as a replacement will do little to appease the Arsenal fans.

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Controversial midfielder Joey Barton has revealed that he spoke with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger over a possible transfer to North London before joining QPR in the transfer window.

Prior to moving to Loftus Road, Barton faced Arsenal on the opening day of the season for old employers Newcastle, and clashed with Gunners forward Gervinho, resulting in the Ivorian forward being sent off.

This altercation left a sour taste with the Emirates club, and may have cost the combative midfielder a move to Wenger’s men.

“If I hadn’t played against Arsenal on the first day, I may have signed for them. There were a couple of conversations (with Wenger) but that’s different to actually signing,” he told Sky Sports.

“The Gervinho incident happened and there’s nothing I can do about it now. If it happened again, I’d like to think I’d deal with it differently.

“Things happen for a reason and there’s a lesson to be learned from it. Right now, we sit above Arsenal in the table – hopefully that’s the case in May,” he stated.

Instead of joining The Gunners Barton moved to an ambitious QPR side, and has claimed he is happy to be playing with his new team.

“There were a couple of offers on the table but now I’m really happy to be at QPR and in London. We play an expansive and exciting brand of football and can hopefully surprise a few people this season,” he concluded.

QPR have been competitive so far this campaign since their promotion, and take on Aston Villa on Sunday.

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As Liverpool fans still try to get rid of the bitter taste left by Fernando Torres’ departure to Chelsea, another star player has hinted that he may be the next one out of Anfield if the club does not get back into the Premier League’s top four. Spanish Goalkeeper Pepe Reina is supposedly the target of Manchester United and Arsenal in the summer as both clubs will be looking to sign a top quality shot stopper. Reina is certainly that, making around 102 clean sheets in 208 league games for the club – compare that to a striker’s appearances to goals ratio, it’s highly impressive. Will Liverpool have a fight on their hands to keep Reina?

The rumours of Sir Alex Ferguson perusing their rival’s ‘keeper were started in January, especially since Edwin Van der Sar announced he will be retiring at the end of the season. However, Reina has not helped matters when talking to the Spanish media recently – when asked about Fernando Torres, he showed a more sympathetic and understandable approach compared to others associated with Liverpool. These comments will not sit well with the Anfield faithful who will not want to see another star player leave for a rival Premier League club.

Reina was also asked about a possible return to playing in Spain but the Liverpool ‘keeper said he believed that his future is in England whilst also highlighting his desire to play regular Champions League football.  I believe it all comes down to where Liverpool finish this season and after the start Kenny Dalglish has made at the club, there is still a possibility that the Reds can sneak into 4th spot come the end of the season. Reina would not have a case for wanting a move if this can be achieved but it is a huge ask for the current team to keep up momentum until the end of the season. Plus they will have to rely on the teams above them like Tottenham, Chelsea or Manchester City to lose points.

Alternatively, if Liverpool’s recent impressive results start to dwindle and their season ends up drifting into mid table mediocrity, Reina will be looking to go. Liverpool will of course try anything in their power to persuade him to stay, but just like Torres, he knows what he has to do if he wants out of Anfield – especially if the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United are prepared to put in a significant bid, the outcome just seems inevitable.

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With less than three weeks to go until the start of the season, Neil Warnock seems to be assembling a squad that is capable of getting out of this league and back to the big time. The main squad building has been done and all that is needed now are the two or three players that can win a match out of nothing.

At the end of last season the main priority was to sort out the defence and it was something that the gaffer got straight on with, bringing in Portsmouth captain Jason Pearce, then the experienced duo of Adam Drury and Paddy Kenny. All three of these are likely to be regular fixtures in the starting line up throughout the season which will give the side a more solid out look. With Martin Crainie possibly signing up it will give added competition for Tom Lees to get that centre back spot which can only be good for the team. One position in the defence is yet to be filled however with no new right back and Paul Connolly looking ever the more likely to be leaving it is something that Warnock needs to address. Rumours that Lee Peltier is the man that Leeds want have been going on for most of the summer but seem to have died down over the last few days.

One thing that will be key this season is that the club cannot concede as many sloppy goals as they did last season. Silly little mistakes need to be cut out if the club are to make a serious challenge for the title. I’m sure the gaffer will have been working on this throughout pre season and improve the composure of our players.

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One area where the club now has real strength in depth is the middle of the park with David Norris, Paul Green and already fans favourite Rodolph Austin. These three will provide the necessary steel as well as going on to score goals as well. Luke Varney came into the club last week when his deal was finally agreed and hopefully he will fill the void left by Robert Snodgrass when he departed for Norwich City. I would expect another wide man to come into the club as it is an area where we are pretty light on the ground, possibly a loan from a Premiership club might be the way off adding extra competition.

Probably the most surprising signing of the summer so far has to be the return of Andy Gray. He will provide good cover for Luciano Becchio and Ross McCormack as well as giving an extra option until Davide Somma returns from injury later this year. The club are still actively searching for another striker and Craig Mackail-Smith seems to be the man on the top of the list with rumours of talks taking place could he be the man that Warnock wants in by Saturday. Another name being thrown around is that of George Boyd. A quality wide man with an eye for a goal, he is just the type of player Leeds need. A match winner some would call him but whether or not the club make a move for him we have to wait and see.

This Championship season looks like it could be the closest one yet with most clubs doing good bits of business. However if Neil Warnock can get these crucial signings that he is talking about to the club then I don’t see another team better equipped than us to get back to the big time. Elland Road needs to be a fortress this season and the fans can help that by turning up week in week out singing their hearts out for the team, almost sucking the ball into the back of the net at times.

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This could be our year!

Thomas Johnson – @tomsjohnson – borninyorkshire.blogspot.co.uk

Sir Alex Ferguson  is set to watch Mario Gotze with interest over the next few months after identifying him as a potential replacement for Paul Scholes.

Reports after the transfer window suggested that Arsenal had offered £35m for the young German, however Borussia Dortmund were understandably very reluctant to accept any offer.

Footybunker.com reports that Manchester United have offered £1.5m to have the first option to buy Gotze but the article gives no details of whether this was accepted or not.

Gotze will undoubtedly draw plenty of attention from Europe’s biggest clubs this year as he prepares to make his Champions League bow with Dortmund. But raises another issue as far as Mr Wenger is concerned.

Dortmund have of course been drawn in Arsenal’s group. If Wenger is serious about wanting to sign Gotze, which a £35m bid certainly indicates, surely he will be, at the very least, having a word in the ear of Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp . It is fair to say Alex Ferguson would not allow that opportunity to pass him by.

Still aged only 19, Gotze has already been capped 8 times by Germany. His international career has started with a bang too having scored a fantastic goal against Brazil and the final goal in the 6-2 demolition. With the European Championships at the end of the year, at which Germany are expected to be Spain’s closest challengers, Gotze’s stock is only going to rise.

If true, Sir Alex’s first option deal could be the most astute bit of business of the transfer window.

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Article courtesy of Chris Smith from the excellent Transfer Tavern

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Moroccan international midfielder Houssine Kharja has been included in Inter Milan’s squad for Sunday’s game at Palermo.

Kharja completed his loan transfer on Saturday from Genoa and manager Leonardo immediately named him in his squad.

“I am very happy,” Kharja said on Inter Channel.

“After some difficult days of waiting, I am finally here. I want to thank President Massimo Moratti for giving me this opportunity and all those who worked to complete the transfer.”

“I have joined the strongest team in the world. I’m still a little stunned and excited after the first training session with my new teammates. I am ready for whatever the coach needs starting from tomorrow’s game.”

“I have taken on many midfield roles during my career and at international level I even played as a centre-back.”

Kharja will wear the number 14 shirt in honour of former Inter star Patrick Vieira.

“I hope and want to give a contribution to this team that is still so hungry for victory. I thank my teammates for the warm welcome.”

Inter will welcome back Diego Milito, Philippe Coutinho and Julio Cesar from injury.

Dejan Stankovic, Ivan Cordoba and Cristian Chivu are suspended, while Wesley Sneijder, Walter Samuel and MacDonald Mariga are injured.

Meanwhile, Palermo coach Delio Rossi has told his players to “forget about the table and play for the win against Inter, as we always do.”

The Sicilians have a history of entertaining clashes with Inter, losing 5-3 in Milan last season and losing 2-1 on home turf in September.

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“Every game is unique and self-contained,” Rossi insisted. “Since our last meeting many things have changed and Inter have a different tactician.”

“We will go to Milan in order to play our game and play for the win, as we always do. If we play the way we know how, then we can get a result against Inter.”

“I am not interested in the standings and we must forget about the table. After all, I’m used to not checking it until March.”

Newcastle have approached Liverpool to enquire about the possibility of taking Andy Carroll back on loan, Sky Sports report.

The England international striker has had an inconsistent time at Anfield since a £35 million move to Merseyside back in January 2011.

With Brendan Rodgers taking over from Kenny Dalglish Carroll’s future is unclear, with new signing Fabio Borini thought to be the Geordie attacker’s replacement.

The Northern Irish manager has previously admitted that he may well send the targetman out on loan for 2012-13, and Newcastle are now said to have made a bid.

Initially Carroll would re-join the Tyneside outfit on a season-long loan deal, with a permanent move in the offing next summer.

AC Milan and West Ham have both also been linked with a move for Carroll in the off-season, but as yet there has been no news over where the striker will play his football next term.

Newcastle have Senegalese attacking pair Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse at their disposal, but did sell Leon Best to Blackburn this summer.

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By Gareth McKnight

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