Our title bid is over, admits Manchester United captain

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Jan 20, 2014

Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard has confirmed that he is happy at the club, despite being linked with a mega-money move back to France in order to join Paris Saint-Germain.

The Belgium international has been one of the best players so far this season in the Premier League, and has helped guide Chelsea to third in the table, however, reports last week suggested that PSG were preparing to make a bid for the midfielder, which was then followed by reports suggesting that the player himself has told friends that he wants to leave the club in the Summer.

The former-Lille player was questioned about whether or not he was planning on moving back to Ligue 1, but his responce was positive for The Blues fans.

“For four years, during each transfer market, there are rumours I will go here and there,” Hazard told French television show Tele-Foot.

“Paris has money, Paris is a great club. But I am at Chelsea, there is no chance to see me leaving during that transfer market or during the next one, I think.

“I don’t want to leave. To me, Chelsea is the best place to improve.”

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles

Arsenal duo hail match-winner Cazorla

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Jan 20, 2014

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and winger Serge Gnabry have been full of praise for Saturday’s match-winner Santi Cazorla, after he scored a brace against Fulham to help The Gunners win 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium.

The Spanish international has had a fairly slow season as far as he is concerned due to injuries and also the excellent form shown by Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey, however, speaking to the club’s official website, both Wenger and Gnabry were full of praise for the midfield-maestro.

Wenger, who was delighted with his side’s victory on Saturday, admitted that he feels Cazorla is finally finding his best form once again.

“Santi got two and that is a sign he is coming back to his level because for a big part of the season he had some injury problems,” he told Arsenal Player. “Since mid-December he has been coming back to his best.

“He was injured for a while, after that he had an ankle problem for a period and couldn’t hit the ball properly with his right foot.

“Santi is about using two legs, you don’t know really if he is right or left footed and once he cannot do that as freely as he is used to he has a handicap. He had that for a long time this season.”

Cazorla’s midfield team-mate, Gnabry, who was also impressive during the 2-0 victory, stated that it was so easy to play alondside a talent like Cazorla.

“The first half wasn’t really our game, I didn’t feel like we were playing at home,” the teenager said. “But in the second half we grabbed the win with Santi getting two goals and I’m really happy with the result.

“The manager changed our tactics [at half time]. We didn’t press enough in the first half, we didn’t push up the field so it was too easy for them to play through us. In the second half we changed that and it went much better.

“It is so easy to play next to Santi – he is a great player with great vision and it is very enjoyable to play alongside him.”

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles

Baines to sign new deal.

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Ben Reardon

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Jan 20, 2014

Everton full back Leighton Baines is to sign a new long term contract at Goodison Park, bringing an end to any speculation regarding his long term future.

The 29 year old Left back was a target for Manchester United last summer, but will tie up a new lucrative deal, ahead of Everton’s game at West Bromwich Albion later this evening.

It is thought the deal could be worth £75,000 per week to Baines, in what may be a long term five year deal.

After failing with two bids before the start of this season, including one which would have seen Baines move to Old Trafford along with midfielder Marouane Fellaini.

The Toffees currently lie in Sixth, but can leap above Tottenham and Liverpool into a Champions League spot with a win away at West Bromwich Albion.

Everton have lost just twice this season, and under Martinez, are currently playing some superb football, with several home grown young talented English players.

The full back started his career at Wigan Athletic, becoming a fan favourite at the DW Stadium in a five year stay at the Latics, before moving to Everton in the summer of 2007, were he has made 214 appearances, scoring 19 goals for the Toffees.

Baines contract comes as a huge relift to both Martinez, and Everton supporters.

By Ben Reardon

@BenReardon1

Ince set for Monaco move.

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Ben Reardon

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Jan 20, 2014

Blackpool winger Thomas Ince is set to sign a pre contract agreement with oil rich French side AS Monaco, with a view to a move in the summer.

The youngster travelled down to London to hold talks with the Ligue 1 side, and a transfer looks done and dusted, leaving several Premier League clubs fall short.

Welsh clubs Swansea City and Cardiff City were rumoured to be interested in the young winger, who had stalled on a new contract at Bloomfield Road.

Cardiff had agreed to pay the £8 million buy out clause, however, Monaco have stepped up their efforts to sign Ince, in recent weeks.

Ince has been one of Blackpool’s star performer since signing for the Tangerines from Liverpool in the summer of 2011.

And with Paul Ince’s long term future in doubt, the possible move has strained relations between father and son, and infuriated the Blackpool board.

Ince has been in fine form for an underperforming Blackpool, but a move to the tax free haven looks the most likely outcome, were Ince would be joining an ambitious rich side, including the likes of Falcao, and a whole host of other top players.

Blackpool could have cashed in on Ince a year ago when they rejected a £5 million offer from his first club, Liverpool, however, they declined a deal.

Monaco have assembled a superstar squad since the takeover of Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev.

Manager Paul Ince’s future has been cast into further doubt, following a 2-0 defeat at Barnsley on Saturday, and the fact he is willing to let his son go, with reports suggesting Ince junior has submitted a written transfer request.

By Ben Reardon

@BenReardon1

Arsene Wenger set for new contract

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Jan 20, 2014

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is set to be offered a new deal worth around £24million a year after owner Stan Kroenke arrived in London from America during the weekend.

Wenger is expected to be offered a three-year extension to his current deal, which expires in the Summer, and it is believed that Kroenke will meet with Ivan Gazidis and the manager at some point this week to discuss the contract being offered.

There was wide speculation that this could be Wenger’s last season at the club after years without a trophy, but after a fantastic campaign so far, it is becoming more likely that Wenger will in fact stay at the Emirates Stadium and reject interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.

The Gunners manager is completely focused on his side at the moment however and recently admitted that he doesn’t want contract talks to distract him from the season, however, it now looks like he is ready to hold talks and put pen-to-paper with a three-year deal being offered.

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles

GARTH CROOKS’ TEAM OF THE WEEK

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Jan 20, 2014

After another thrilling weekend of Premier League football, BBC pundit Garth Crooks has once again put together a ‘Team of the Week’ and below you can see who made the cut this time!

Do you agree?

GOALKEEPER – JACK BUTLAND (Stoke City)

A worthy mention must go to Sunderland’s Vito Mannone, who after an early error recovered very well to play his part in a credible 2-2 draw against Southampton. But my selection goes to Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland, who made three consecutive saves that were out of this world in the 1-0 defeat by Crystal Palace. Even Eagles manager Tony Pulis had to acknowledge the Butland triple save in his post-match interview.

DEFENDER – BACARY SAGNA (Arsenal)

A player very much in keeping with Arsenal’s traditions, dependable in defence and adventurous in attack. Former Arsenal full-backs who have held the position with distinction include Kenny Sansom, Lee Dixon, Lauren and Ashley Cole. I suspect Bacary Sagna will be spoken of in those terms eventually.

DEFENDER – LAURENT KOSCIELNY (Arsenal)

Those of you who follow my Team of the Week will know that earlier in the season I criticised Koscielny for his often reckless challenges and irrational behaviour. Fortunately, the calming influence of Per Mertesacker seems to have had a profound effect on the France defender. Together they looked a formidable partnership against Fulham.

DEFENDER – RON VLAAR (Aston Villa)

Aston Villa’s Ron Vlaar was hugely impressive in defence against Liverpool and could not have done any more to keep Uruguay international Luis Suarez at bay.

DEFENDER – DANNY ROSE (Tottenham)

Seeing Mousa Dembele miss the target, much to Emmanuel Adebayor’s disgust, after impudently ignoring the unmarked striker when well placed to put Spurs 3-0 up against Swansea was frustrating. Danny Rose showed the Belgian precisely how it should be done minutes later when, in exactly the same position, he squared the ball to Adebayor to put the game beyond the hosts. It just goes to show that you don’t have to be an expensively acquired midfielder to make the right decisions.

MIDFIELDER – YOHAN CABAYE (Newcastle)

This lad is playing out of his skin, and what is more, he is scoring some fabulous goals. Last week, Newcastle felt so aggrieved because of a disallowed goal that they allowed their game to fall apart. Not so this week. Manager Alan Pardew and his team kept it together, and look what happened – three points in the bag against West Ham.

MIDFIELDER – YAYA TOURE (Manchester City)

I do not always agree with Robbie Savage. In fact, I seldom agree with anything he says, but on Saturday he said on Final Score that he thought Yaya Toure was currently the best midfield player in the world. Having seen another super display of pace, power, goals and control from the BBC African Footballer of the Year against Cardiff, I find myself agreeing with every word. Scary!

MIDFIELDER – JASON PUNCHEON (Crystal Palace)

Anybody who has the mental capacity to miss a penalty so badly against Spurs and recover so quickly to produce a stellar performance the following week against Stoke clearly has something about him.

MIDFIELDER – SANTI CAZORLA (Arsenal)

When you have as many football technicians as Arsenal, it is only a matter of time before one of them unlocks the most stubborn of defences. Santi Cazorla’s first goal was so beautifully constructed by his team-mates that they practically undressed Fulham.

FORWARD – SAMUEL ETO’O (Chelsea)

A few people questioned the wisdom of Jose Mourinho bringing the Cameroon international to Stamford Bridge, particularly having let Romelu Lukaku go to Everton on loan. But a fit Samuel Eto’o finally appears to be making a world of difference to Chelsea’s attack. His hat-trick against Manchester United may convince Mourinho that his strikers are capable of scoring. Manchester United, on the other hand, are in desperate need of some inspiration.

FORWARD – EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR (Tottenham)

A colleague said to me recently that he got the distinct impression that “some people in the game” felt that Tim Sherwood’s 4-4-2 approach to football showed him to be tactically inept. Considering Sherwood has won five of the six games since he took over – the latest a 3-1 win at Swansea – suggests to me that ‘those people’ don’t know what they are talking about – whoever they are. That apart, he’s one of the very few coaches that can get Adebayor to perform to his potential.

What are your thoughts? Write your comments below!

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles

Fernando Torres ruled out for weeks

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Jan 19, 2014

The 29-year-old suffered the problem in the closing stages of the 3-1 win over Manchester United on Sunday.

Torres was a 79th-minute substitute for Samuel Eto’o, who scored a hat-trick in the victory at Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho said Senegalese forward Demba Ba would now come into contention for a place in his starting line-up.

The Portuguese added: “It’s time for Demba. It’s a pity because Torres is in a good moment.

“Demba had a fantastic week, it was very difficult for me to leave him out of selection because he worked very, very well.

“The next matches are for Demba or Samuel.”

Chelsea have home games against Stoke in the FA Cup and West Ham in the Premier League before a trip to Manchester City, a home game against Newcastle then a visit to West Brom in the next month.

Written by Steve Milne

Manchester United will not give up

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Jan 19, 2014

David Moyes refuses to give up on retaining the Premier League title, despite a defeat at Chelsea that left them 14 points adrift of leaders Arsenal.

A Samuel Eto’o hat-trick guided Chelsea to a comfortable 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge and handed United a seventh league defeat of the season.

Moyes said: “What we don’t do is throw the towel in until we can’t get there.

“The job is to try to finish first and we’ll try to do that.”

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho also refused to rule United out of the title race – but said it would need a dramatic loss of form from those teams ahead of them to revive the reigning champions’ hopes.

He said: “I am sure David won’t be upset with me if I tell the reality. It is a 14-point difference to Arsenal, then 13 to Manchester City and 12 to us.

“They can recover to one of those teams but to recover three of them, it needs three teams to almost have a collapse, so the title will be difficult for them.

“What I hope is that they beat all the other teams to finish in the top four.”

Moyes’s side started the match strongly but were guilty of poor defending as Eto’o became the fourth player to score a treble against them in the Premier League era and extended the Scot’s wait for an away win against the ‘big four’.

In 48 away matches at United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal – encompassing his time as Everton and United boss – he has drawn 18 and lost 30.

His side are six points off the Champions League places with 16 matches remaining.

Moyes said: “This is a project. I know what I’m going to do and there will be changes as we go along the journey.

“It is a massive challenge. I hoped we’d be in a better position than we are, but we are not.”

United were without injured strikers Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie and their problems increased when captain Nemanja Vidic was sent off for a challenge on Eden Hazard in the closing moments.

Vidic is now out of Wednesday’s Capital One Cup semi-final second leg against Sunderland at Old Trafford, where they will try to overturn a 2-1 deficit, and he could have been joined on the sidelines by right-back Rafael, who was only booked for a two-footed lunge on Gary Cahill.

Moyes said: “I thought Nemanja’s was a yellow card but I thought on another day the one afterwards when Rafael got a yellow card could have been a red card.”

Written by Steve Milne – Have your say below

Palace boss Pulis targets Brondby frontman Makienok

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Jan 19, 2014

The former Stoke boss has challenged Palace’s board to deliver a host of new faces to reinvigorate the Selhurst Park club’s bid to avoid the drop.

Palace edged out Stoke 1-0 at home in league action on Saturday, Jason Puncheon netting the winner to shake off his horror-show penalty miss in last weekend’s 2-0 defeat at Tottenham.

The Southampton loanee provided a calm second-half finish to light up an otherwise opportunity-light afternoon.

Pulis said Puncheon’s resolve never wavered in the wake of his penalty nightmare, but the 27-year-old’s palpable relief at full-time suggested otherwise.

Palace are yet to strike in the January transfer window despite being linked to a host of targets, including Brondby’s towering Denmark international forward Simon Makienok.

Pulis has called on co-chairman Steve Parish and sporting director Iain Moody to deliver a nucleus of new arrivals to bolster their drive away from the foot of the table.

‘We’re hoping and praying we can bring some players in. We really need to bring some players in and that will strengthen us,’ said the manager.

‘The lads are waiting for a few to come in as well and we’ll kick on from there.

‘That’s not for me to say, that’s for Steve and Ian to continue to handle.’

Palace make the trip to Wigan for the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday, before Hull at Selhurst Park on Tuesday, January 28.

Pulis was able to toast his 56th birthday with victory over former club Stoke, one he admitted was tinged with emotion for his whole family.

‘I was there for a long time and during that time it was my family supporting the club just as much as it was me working for it,’ he said.

‘So it was certainly surreal for me, the whole day, but I am sure it was extremely surreal for them too.

‘We were all in it together there and so we all felt this, as a family.

‘It was fantastic to get the result and I was pleased for Punch (Jason Puncheon) because he just had to get back on that bike as soon as possible and start pedalling.’

Expecting a host of twists and turns in the drop zone between now and May, Pulis said: ‘This is not the defining moment of that (relegation) battle, that’s in the future, so we’ve got to keep our feet on the ground.

‘The time to be out of the relegation zone is by no means upon us. There are still 16 games to go, so there is a huge amount to happen yet and we’ve just got to stay calm and keep on working.’

Deflated Stoke boss Mark Hughes admitted his side have no excuses for the defeat.

Demanding far sharper defending, the former Manchester United striker also feels his side have lost their attacking edge to boot.

‘We struggled in the final third and we lacked any real quality,’ he said.

‘It was not where we should be at all and we’ve got to turn it round quickly.’

Stoke face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in fourth round FA Cup action next weekend, with Hughes mindful of the need for rapid improvement.

‘You cannot afford to defend like that in Premier League matches,’ he said.

‘Certain things will come and we have some new players who will improve a lot as they settle in and get more training time into them.

‘But there are certain elements we just have to sharpen up.’

Written by Steve Milne – Have your say below 🙂

Mauricio Pochettino to be offered bumper new contract

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Jan 19, 2014

Pochettino was close to quitting after chairman Nicola Cortese walked out last week following a row with Liebherr over the Swiss businesswoman wanting a bigger say in how the club is run.

The Argentinian, who has 17 months left on his contract, worth more than £1million a year, has said he will remain in charge until the end of the season before reviewing his options.

But a Saints source said: “The owner wants some stability at the club and the best way of ensuring this is by getting the manager tied into a contract. It would send out a message that despite Nicola leaving, nothing has changed.”

Cortese’s departure sparked fears of a mass exodus, but skipper Adam Lallana said: “The new owner has said nobody is for sale, which is good.”

Written by Steve Milne – Have your say below 🙂

Blackpool set to sack boss Paul Ince

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Jan 19, 2014

Blackpool are set to sack boss Paul Ince – and make veteran skipper Barry Ferguson their new player-manager.

Ince’s relationship with chairman Karl Oyston is at an all-time low because of bad results and the future of his son, Tom.

Now Ince, who refused to meet the media after the defeat to Barnsley, is poised to be chopped and replaced internally.

Ferguson – a former Scotland captain – is a respected voice in the dressing room and will be asked to take charge with coach Steve Thompson.

It will be an ironic twist as Ferguson was banished on loan by Oyston last season and only brought back during Ince’s reign. Ince and assistant Alex Rae both look set to go as the Seasiders try to halt their slide.

Written by Steve Milne

Swansea City look to sign Middlesbrough star Rhys Williams

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Jan 19, 2014

Swansea City hope to push through a £1.5m deal to bring Middlesbrough’s former Wales defender Rhys Williams to the Liberty Stadium as Michael Laudrup’s injury crisis worsened.

Jonjo Shelvey became the latest name to be ruled out of action after limping out of the 3-1 defeat to Tottenham with a hamstring problem that is expected to keep him out for at least two weeks.

He joins Jose Canas and Jonathan de Guzman in the midfield absent list leaving Leon Britton as the only fit central midfielder at the club while others including Nathan Dyer, Pablo Hernandez, Michel Vorm and Michu remain sidelined.

Williams had been a previous target for the club having been identified by the club’s recruitment set-up and it appears there is a confidence at Swansea that they will be able to reach an agreement over a move for the 25-year-old.

Williams has been at Boro since breaking through as a teenager, swapping nationalities when he quit Wales after Under 21 and senior squad representation to play for his native Australia.

He can operate both in defence and in midfield and while Laudrup would not comment on the proposed move last night, it is thought Swansea were keen to press ahead after initial interest was thought to be rebuffed and Scottish giants Celtic monitored the situation.

Swansea are still keen on adding further options despite Laudrup’s refusal to expand on transfer hopes, the Dane stressing the side’s current loss of form would not be solved by splashing the cash in the remaining two weeks of the window.

Laudrup said: “The club is working on things but I don’t know what stage things are at. (Rhys Williams) is one more name to add to the rumours. of a player who can play different positions. He is someone who can play different positions but I don’t it’s much use me talking about players not here because the most important are the ones here.

“Just getting a player is not the only solution. Things will only change for our team when we win a game or two out of three. That would give the boost that we need.”

Written by Steve Milne

Liverpool to make a formal bid for Basel winger Mohamed Salah

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Jan 19, 2014

Liverpool will make a formal bid for Basel winger Mohamed Salah this week. The club have been planning a move for the Egyptian since the January transfer window opened, but the valuation of £12 million has been prohibitive.

However, negotiations will step up with the Swiss side in the next few days, with manager Brendan Rodgers hoping to make a significant purchase. Ideally, he would like to add a defender to his squad, too, the 2-2 draw with Aston Villa on Saturday highlighting the major lingering deficiencies at the back.

The impressive, composed debut of Aston Villa’s Ryan Bertrand – who is on loan from Chelsea and has been a long-term target for Rodgers – was in contrast to Liverpool’s problems at full back over recent weeks.

Salah, 21, is an attacking midfielder with an eye for goal who shone in the Champions League, scoring in the group stages against Chelsea.

Written by Steve Milne

West Ham keen on Arsenal’s Thomas Vermaelen

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Jan 19, 2014