Aston Villa are expected to confirm the signing of Chesterfield striker Jordan Bowery later today, with the fee expected to be in the region of around £500,000, according to BBC Radio Sheffield.
Bowery, 21, made his debut for the Spireites at the age of 17 and scored 12 goals for the club in all competitions last season, despite a disappointing campaign for Chesterfield who were relegated back to the bottom tier of the Football League.
It is thought that Paul Lambert will sign Bowery as primarily a signing for the future. However, the striker may have more of a chance of first-team action if a deal to bring Christian Benteke in from Belgian side Genk isn’t completed before the end of the transfer window.
Lambert’s signings certainly appear as if they are part of a long-term project at Villa Park. As well as trying to bring Bowery and Benteke, both 21, to the West Midlands Club, last night the Villa boss confirmed the signing of 22-year-old left back Joe Bennett from Championship side Middlesbrough.
The Villains claimed their first victory of the season on Tuesday night with a comfortable 3-0 victory over League One outfit Tranmere Rovers.
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Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez may well be looking to sign a new left-back this summer in order to provide Paul Dummett with more competition in that position, especially now the club has secured their spot in the Premier League for another season.
Southampton defender Matt Targett, who has been impressing during a loan spell with Championship club Fulham in 2018, may well be one of the players that Magpies manager Rafa Benitez is looking at, so we decided to ask Toon fans whether they would like to see the 22-year-old move to St James’ Park, or not.
Those supporters used our poll to give their verdict on a potential deal for the England U21 international, who found first-team football at St Mary’s hard to come by in the first-half of the current campaign because he was behind Ryan Bertrand in the pecking order.
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53% of those fans that voted on our poll said they would back a move for the left-back, who could be on his way out of St Mary’s whichever division Saints find themselves in next term.
When one of the biggest teams in the world goes through a rough patch, it’s easy to turn to their best goal scorer as the issue at hand.
After their winter break, Real Madrid struggled to find their form. Losing to city rivals Atletico Madrid in the league and the Copa brought criticism from Real’s mans and Cristiano Ronaldo not scoring in three consecutive games made people question his form.
But the world’s current best put a staggering five past Granada, and scored again just three days later away to Rayo Vallecano. So, has Ronaldo got his confidence back?
Because of the type of player Ronaldo is, so much is expected of him. Three games without a goal is considered a drought, which shows his talent. He now has 300 goals to his name for Real Madrid: bear in mind he has only been there for five years. He has scored these goals in just just 288 games.
In mid January, Cristiano found the back of the net twice against Getafe, yet was uncharacteristically sent off in Real’s next game against Cordoba. Just over a month prior to that, he topped the table for most hat-tricks scored in La Liga. This record has been broken once again, but by a young fella you may have heard of – Lionel Messi.
After the sending off, Real Madrid faced Atletico Madrid but couldn’t match their rivals as Atleti ran out comfortable 4-0 winners. Real returned to winning ways against Deportivo, but it would not be until a Champions League game against Schalke for Cristiano to find the back of the net again.
Going by some of his reactions on the pitch, he does strive to be the main man at Real Madrid. His frustration at others scoring instead of himself, such as Bale’s goal against Levante from Ronaldo’s rebound, was widely criticised.
He would go on to score in his next three games, but it is the five at Granada that has people talking. This seems to be his turning point for the dying stages of this season. It has been a boost for not only the club, but for Ronaldo himself.
But let’s be honest, Cristiano’s drop in form is something most forwards could only dream of. Ronaldo defines prolific. He is breaking records left, right and centre at Real Madrid. He has the best goal ratio in La Liga, has scored on every day of the week, and scored in every minute of a game.
He may be back to his blistering best, but his worst is still better than most. There is clearly a lot of pressure on Cristiano to churn out goals consistently, and for the most part, he lives up to expectation.
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But a slight dip in form simply shows he is only human after all.
Swansea defender Neil Taylor believes that next term will be the biggest test of his Swansea career as they prepare for Europe.
Michael Laudrup’s side have become one of the more attractive sides in British football, showing that dominance in the Capital One Cup final when they dispatched giant-killers Bradford 5-0.
The Welsh club will now prepare for a gruelling season ahead as they look to put up a fight both in the Premier League and the Europa League, but the former Wrexham trainee believes that the squad can handle it.
The 24-year-old has spent the majority of the campaign on the sidelines after sustaining a horrendous ankle injury, but he could be in line to return against Chelsea this weekend.
Taylor said: “The demands it’s going to put on the team, whatever squad we have next season, everybody’s going to play a part.
“It’s going to be a really long season. I think we’re going to have a heavy pre-season because we have to get ready for Europe which comes early.”
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Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane is seemingly determined to win his third Golden Boot on the trot.
So much so that his club are prepared to launch an appeal to get the winning goal against Stoke City to be registered as Kane’s, reports BBC Sport.
Christian Eriksen was recorded as the scorer by the Premier League Goals Accreditation Panel in Saturday’s 2-1 victory, despite Kane claiming that he got a touch.
After a spell on the sidelines with injury, the England international relinquished his position at the summit of the top-scorers list.
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah took over and he continues to lead the race with 29 top-flight goals to his name, while Kane has 24.
With only a handful of league games left to play, the chase to become the division’s top scorer is getting more intense.
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BBC Sport claims that the footage of the striker’s goal will be reviewed by a panel once an appeal is lodged.
Tottenham fans have been having their say on the reported appeal on Reddit.
Comment from discussion Spurs expected to appeal goal vs Stoke to give it to Kane.Comment from discussion Spurs expected to appeal goal vs Stoke to give it to Kane.Comment from discussion Spurs expected to appeal goal vs Stoke to give it to Kane.Comment from discussion Spurs expected to appeal goal vs Stoke to give it to Kane.Comment from discussion Spurs expected to appeal goal vs Stoke to give it to Kane.Comment from discussion Spurs expected to appeal goal vs Stoke to give it to Kane.Comment from discussion Spurs expected to appeal goal vs Stoke to give it to Kane.Comment from discussion Spurs expected to appeal goal vs Stoke to give it to Kane.Comment from discussion Spurs expected to appeal goal vs Stoke to give it to Kane.
Will it be Jurgen Klopp? Pep Guardiola? Patrick Vieira? Rafael Benitez?
The names linked with the Manchester City manager’s job are many and varied.
The formula for predicting who the next manager will be seems quite simply to be picking names of current managers out of a hat.
Maybe Diego Simeone? Alejandro Sabella?
Roy Hodgson? Sir Alex Ferguson? SIR MATT BUSBY?? Well, you can see how it could all get a bit ridiculous.
Manchester City are like the belle of the ball. Everyone wants to pair her off with some good-looking eligible bachelor, and most if not all of the potential suitors would be tempted by her considerable assets. Ahem, financial assets that is.
But the problem is, this belle already has a beau.
The matchmakers are circling like vultures, so you’d think that there was a job opening. There isn’t.
At least for now, Manuel Pellegrini is Manchester City’s manager. And will they really get rid of him?
Last season – his first in English football – he managed to win the League and League Cup double. A simple, modest title challenge and the League Cup would probably have sufficed. Pundits would have said, ‘good job, not a bad debut season’. But would have expected a title return in his second year. In reality, Pellegrini has sort of reversed the order.
But is a trophyless season this time, after a double last season, really enough to warrant the sack?
The problem that Pellegrini has is that his team is almost too strong. He has a world class player in every position, right from front to back. He simply can’t justify resting players like Aguero, Silva, Kompany, Toure.
As a result, City have found it almost impossible to strengthen their team.
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They’ve been able to strengthen their bench, add depth to the squad. Mangala has essentially been a hideously expensive third choice defender this season – though I still expect him to be a wonderful defender in the seasons to come. Fernando has added depth to the central midfield roster, but hasn’t been able to oust Toure and Fernandinho as first choice in Pellegrini’s dynamic duo of midfielders in his rigid, unflinching 4-4-2.
At the start of last season, Alvaro Negredo, Fernandinho and Martin Demichelis came into the team. And although Negredo is gone now, he chipped in with goals, Fernandinho and Demichelis have been full-on starters ever since they joined.
So the summer before last, City strengthened well, last summer they didn’t. They still didn’t improve dramatically on what they had, but it was enough to add spice to a stale squad.
That’s been Pellegrini’s problem – how do you add to a title winning squad? There’s nothing you can add to make it better. But when you don’t add anything, your players are tired. And tired players make for stale teams.
City’s men are so good that they can’t be dropped, and that means playing for two full years at the top level. Two title chases – last season they had to come from behind, and this year they just couldn’t muster up the strength once again – and most played in the World Cup finals in Brazil too. That’s almost two full years without a break. At the highest level. And with few rests in the season.
It’s no wonder the squad is stale.
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And that might be Pellegrini’s fault for his failure to strengthen effectively. But then again, how do you strengthen on what City already had? And how do you do it within Financial Fair Play regulations? You’d need to bring in quality equal to the likes of Toure and Kompany so that those two could get a rest. If not, then you have to be prepared for a below par season.
Given money for next season Pellegrini can build a squad capable of doing much better next time around. But he’ll have to recoup lots of money with sales too. FFP will stifle a dramatic overhaul, so these jaded players may not get the rest they need.
And so that’s the reason why the matchmakers are suggesting suitors name after name. The belle of the ball won’t be stuck for a date, but what’s wrong with holding onto her Latin Lover, the hunky Manuel? After all, can a new man really provide any more than her old one?
Tottenham boss Andres Villas-Boas insisted that striker Emmanuel Adebayor has done a great job for the Spurs this season, according to The Sun.
Despite his lackluster performance this season, netting only two goals in Premier League matches, Adebayor’s manager has backed the striker, declaring that he’s had a great season.
“Adebayor has been helping the team a lot,” said Villas-Boas. “As a striker he wants to live off his goal scoring tag, and he has adapted to doing something different.”
The manager explained that even though Adebayor’s role at White Hart Lane has shifted away from being a pure goal scorer, the team keep their “faith and confidence in him because he is helping the team”.
“We try to get him into the goal-scoring positions more often to help him with his goal-scoring tag but we cannot be obsessed with this. He is doing a good job.”
Villas-Boas continued that the Spurs have played a 4-4-2 line up throughout this season, with “one striker coming short off the other one,” which the 35-year-old manager said “Ade has done to a great extent this season”.
“He has probably played this role with the sacrifice of more goals. That’s the reality. Definitely I appreciate that and he knows this.”
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Recent rumours have suggested that the Spurs may be willing to part with Adebayor to fund an offer for Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke.
In an interview with Barca TV, Barcelona midfielder Andre Gomes has played down reports linking him with a move to Manchester United.
What’s the latest?
The 24-year-old has been part of the Catalan giants since 2016 when he signed from Valencia, and initially struggled to break into the team.
This season, Gomes has started just five La Liga matches and one in the Champions League, while 18 of his outings in all competitions have been as a substitute.
However, the midfielder has been getting more chances of late, and played the entire 90 minutes of Barca’s 3-1 victory over Leganes at the weekend.
According to The Express, United are the frontrunners to bring in Gomes this summer, but the man himself has kept quiet about his future prospects.
While speaking to Barca TV, the midfielder said:
“Right now I do not think about that. I am enjoying myself and living the dream that all children want to live.”
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Do United need Gomes?
Jose Mourinho is expected to make changes to his team this season, and the midfield is an area that is likely to be focused on.
Michael Carrick is due to retire when the campaign comes to a close, while the futures of Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera remain uncertain.
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Gomes could be a strong addition to the pack, especially due to the fact that he can play in a variety of positions across the midfield.
The Spaniard can play centrally, on either the right or the left, plus he can drop back and do a defensive job in the middle of the park.
In what looks set to be the biggest talking point of the weekend in the Premier League, relegation battlers Burnley recorded an almighty upset in the form of a 1-0 win over reigning champions Manchester City.
Although the Citizens have the best record of any club against bottom half sides in the division this term, such disappointing displays against lesser opposition have become worryingly regular for the Etihad outfit.
Facing an ageing squad with an often complacent mentality, we at Football Fancast think Man City need a serious shake-up this summer via the transfer market – although manager Manuel Pellegrini is now almost certain to be booted out the exit door too.
And with that in mind, here’s three reasons the Sky Blues desperately need a summer shake-up, as evident throughout the ninety minutes this afternoon.
A DIVINE RIGHT MENTALITY
It’s been said of Manchester City before and certainly rung true this afternoon, they often enter fixtures against lesser sides with the dangerous assumption that they’re going to win – a divine right to victory, if you will.
Nobody can doubt the SkyBlues’ quality, but quality alone is not enough in the Premier League and once again, it was as if the visitors expected that to be all they needed to see them surpass a well-organised, highly motivated Burnley side.
The City board were quick to oust Roberto Mancini after the club’s complacent title defence in 2012/13, but a behavioural trend that’s now seeped into Manuel Pellegrini’s reign too, one can only point to the mentality in the dressing room.
Although few dispute City to be the most talented team in the English top flight, they continually lack the work-rate, desire and teamwork to match.
AN AGEING SQUAD
Age is just a number, but it should be a troubling one for Manchester City. They currently boast the oldest squad age in the Premier League, 29.6 years, and the average age of all their players involved today was a worrying 29.
Not only does that reflect on City’s inability to bring academy players through to the first team in recent years, but it also highlights the club’s desperate need for fresh blood. The daunting alternative is the entirety of the squad surpassing their peaks and needing replacing at the same time, which would undoubtedly require a Financial Fair Play-bending sum of money.
THEY NEED A FEW MORE GEORGE BOYDS
George Boyd may not be the most glamorous player in the history of the Premier League – in fact, only last summer was he deemed not glamorous enough for Hull City.
But what’s not to like about this lad? He’s home-grown, has good technique and an absolutely impeccable work-rate, a combination of which made him the match-winner this afternoon.
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The 29 year-old not only scored the deciding strike in the 1-0 affair, but he also made the most tackles of any Burnley player, as shown below:
In fact, he ranks in fifth – yes, fifth – in the Premier League’s tackle rankings and is the only forward in the top ten. Not bad for a January bargain.
If City had a few more players of Boyd’s mentality in their midfield, prepared to work for their moments of glory, perhaps banana-skin results of today’s magnitude would be a lesser occurrence.
Gareth Bale has become the talking point of English football. Any bout of awkward silence in a social situation between two or more males that are both aware the other has a reasonable interest in the beautiful game is filled with the words “How about that Gareth Bale then?”
So how about that Gareth Bale then? He’s been ripping the Premier League apart, with 16 goals and 2 assists in 25 domestic appearances, and since December the Welshman has been turning draws and even potential defeats into victories single-handed for Tottenham.
Bale has found that much needed consistency which he’s lacked in previous years, and furthermore has not been found wanting or gone absent in the big games, including the North London Derbies in which he scored in both this season.
The 23 year old has adopted the responsibility that has come with his flurry of form, understanding the rest of the team are now dependent on him to produce results. Andre Villas-Boas now deploys him at the tip of the Spurs midfield, almost playing as a second striker – a position where you must make a considerable impact in every match or the rest of the team is likely to suffer.
It’s sparked the debate over whether the Welshman can be considered to be “world class”. Of course, the term is always up for interpretation. Some would view only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as world class, whereas others would include the likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Falcao and Bastien Schweinsteiger to name a few. I was unconvinced Bale yet belonged in either categorisation, until I witnessed his second goal against West Ham last month that may be looked back upon in the years to come as big a career defining moment as his hatrick against Inter Milan when he was just 18 years old.
And with the “World Class” debate has come the auxiliary discussion that Tottenham fans have no doubt feared for some time; where will Gareth Bale be playing his football next season? Although remaining at White Hart Lane is certainly not out of the question, especially if AVB’s men finish up the season having qualified for the Champions League, but the word on the street is indicating a move to Spain, most likely for Real Madrid.
As a football fan, I can only lick my lips at the prospect of witnessing Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale playing on opposite flanks – their sheer athleticism and technique would surely make them impossible to defend against. But as an Englishman, a Match of the Day viewer and a fan of the Premier League, a growing concern washes over me every time the potential Madrid deal is discussed in the papers, with prices varying from £40million to £70million and a bumper contract to boot.
Of course, comparisons can be made with the story of Cristiano Ronaldo, whom after growing into a true world-beater at Manchester United, left for Real Madrid at the age of 24. Ronaldo has gone on to turn a rather impressive goal ratio of one goal every two games for the Red Devils into an unbelievable feat at the Bernabeu of scoring more goals than appearances made. I have little doubt that Bale could go on to make similar achievements, but for the sake of the English game I hope he shows some loyalty to his roots in the summer, as I’m not sure the Premier League can handle losing another “world class” player.
In many ways, the decline started with the loss of the former United winger. Although there is still plenty of top draw talent in the Premier League, we’ve spent the last four years without a standout marquee individual. Similarly, in that time, Luka Modric has departed to none other than Real Madrid, and furthermore, the failed golden generation of English players has aged considerably, with the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, John Terry and Ashley Cole struggling to secure contract extensions, whilst Steven Gerrard has had to adapt his game to losing a vital yard of pace.
The rise of Manchester City has allowed for considerable talent to come in, namely Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Sergio Aguero, and Manchester United currently have one of the top strike partnerships in Europe in Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie, but do any of these come close to the same category as Messi and Ronaldo – that interpretation of “world class” that separates the elite players from those with something truly special?
They all have their drawbacks and disadvantages, and it is interesting that amid last week’s RooneyGate scandal, only PSG were linked with having shown any interest or intent to sign the Englishman. Furthermore, a number of our stars, such as Juan Mata, Yaya Toure, and David Silva, are players who failed to make it to the absolute top level in La Liga and have therefore decided to make a name for themselves abroad.
Of course, the sheer money in the English game will always bring some of the world’s best to our clubs and television screens. But the difference between the Premier League and La Liga is not the money; it’s the pride of playing for either Barcelona or Real Madrid. Only footballers of true quality can get through their doors, and to even be linked with a move to either Spanish giant is a feat which the majority of Europe’s elite players can only dream of.
The same cannot be said for the English clubs. Whereas the Madrid and Barca player rosters are filled with the best of the best, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal have all faced periods of highs and lows, with the quality of the latter three diminishing over the past few years, and none being strangers to bit-part players, the likes of Gareth Barry, Yossi Benayoun or Ashley Young, who perform a role in the side but are miles away from being considered Europe’s best.
Similarly, the Champions League performances of England’s top clubs have showed up the lack of top level quality in the Premier League, or at least their inability to perform consistently and when the pressure is on, as has this season’s one-team title race, and the inability to defend all round throughout the division.
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I do not wish to suggest Gareth Bale has the weight of the future of the Premier League upon his shoulders when making a decision that will severely affect the rest of his career. Of course, the English top flight will survive without him, and it is still a long way off of losing its reputation for being the most exciting league in the world, with a thick spread of talent from the top to the bottom of the table.
But the loss of another “World Class” winger, before reaching the pinacle of his abilities would be a huge loss to the English game, and a sign that La Liga has become the epicentre of European football.
Whereas Ronaldo’s move was understandable, I would find Bale’s departure somewhat more hurting. He’s only had one season of true brilliance, although he has been performing at a level beyond his years for some time. But unlike the Portuguese forward, Bale has been brought up through the English system; he’s one of our own, a Southampton academy product, who’s risen through the ranks and benefited from the English game. Of course, loyalty is nothing in football anymore; careerism comes first. But losing a star so young, before even becoming truly “world class”, can quite simply be no good for the Premier League. I just hope the Welshman takes into consideration just how he got to where he is today, before signing on the dotted line.