After yet another disappointing major tournament for England attentions unavoidably turn to the next generation of English players who will one day be charged with achieving footballing success for the nation. These meaty debates only seem to occur once it has all gone wrong on the international stage. A prevailing view is that the top clubs in the Premier League fail to provide sufficient chances for their young players to compete at the highest level. It is arguably the quest for success and the essential revenue streams which flow from these achievements which prohibits big clubs risking their youth players. Sir Trevor Brooking fears that England’s so-called ‘Golden Generation’ will not be replicated in the coming years. If a stark void in quality is approaching, one remedy is to have youngsters getting regular first-team football in the upper echelons of the league. The new Premier League rules which force clubs to name eight home-grown players but permit an unlimited number of under-21s may just be the start.
The biggest clubs in the Premier League do spend considerable amounts on their youth systems but have not recently seen a tangible return on their investments. It is not just the fans of Liverpool and Chelsea that are anxiously awaiting the next Steven Gerrard or John Terry. England fans are aware that our prospects in the international arena are inextricably linked to top clubs nurturing and retaining their youngsters. One criticism though is that English clubs continue to pride pace, physicality and strength over creative flair and technique. It is difficult to imagine an English version of Spain’s diminutive Pedro suddenly emerging on the world stage thanks to a combination of skill and attacking intelligence. For those top clubs with a decent record of challenging for honours whilst developing youngsters, lingering doubts still remain. Arsene Wenger will not feel he has the time to blood in one of his young centre-backs this season. There is renewed excitement surrounding youngsters at Manchester United thanks to the emergence of players such as Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck. However it is the club’s foreign youth contingent that will be retained at Old Trafford next season over the aforementioned English duo who will face loan spells once more.
Across the Premier League and lower divisions though there are encouraging signs for the future. West Ham’s famed academy system under the expert tutelage of Tony Carr continues to produce players who duly receive their chances to shine in the first team. A recent report in the Guardian revealed how Watford are leading the way in youth development by merging training with mainstream education, thereby boosting the time they can spend coaching their youngsters. As the recession has started to impact football can we now expect clubs to privilege youth development as their buying power in the transfer market declines? The Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson would surely love to have a bevy of talented youngsters to propel into the squad in the new fiscally restrictive era at Anfield.
If tighter budgets will not force the hand of top clubs maybe the bureaucrats at the Premier League will. New legislation will oblige clubs to register at least eight home-grown professionals in a squad of 25. Moreover clubs will be able to name an unlimited number of under-21s in their squads. The rationale is simple. Over the duration of a long season clubs will have to turn to youth as exhaustion, fixture congestion, injuries and suspensions start to bite. The intention is that academy players, usually restricted to appearances in the early rounds of the Carling Cup will be handed their chance. Many of these youngsters, as with Chelsea, will not be eligible for England but the incentive for improved investment and planning of youth systems for club and country is stronger than ever.
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With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery
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Tottenham’s Europa League campaign hangs in the balance after they suffered a shock 2-1 home defeat to PAOK on Wednesday night.
Harry Redknapp fielded a largely second string team, but with Luka Modric, Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe in his starting XI will be disappointed with the result.
First half goals from Dimitris Salpigidis and Stefanos Athanasiadis gave the visitors a first half lead, before Konstantinos Stafylidis was sent off for handling on his goal-line.
Luka Modric converted the resulting penalty, but the White Hart Lane outfit could not break the Eastern European team’s resolve in the second half, even with a man advantage.
Spurs are three points behind Rubin Kazan in Group A of the tournament, and must hope that PAOK beat the Russian in their last game of the pool, whilst Tottenham need to overhaul a five goal deficit against Shamrock Rovers.
Redknapp was not convinced of his team’s chances of doing this, and was disappointed with the showing against the Greeks.
“I am disappointed now because we are not going to be in the last 32,” Redknapp told The Daily Mail.
“It’s very slim – it is very difficult now. I wanted to stay in the competition but it wasn’t to be. Full credit to the opposition, they worked hard and looked dangerous.
“We started sloppy and didn’t defend well. It was a new back four and for the first 10 minutes we started like we did not know each other.
“The kid handballed it on the line and we made it 2-1 and at that point I thought we would come back and win it, but they got bodies back and it was difficult,” he concluded.
Spurs will look to bounce back from the defeat against Bolton in the Premier League on Saturday at White Hart Lane.
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Meanwhile Birmingham and Celtic also were beaten in the competition, with Braga and Atletico Madrid claiming victories over the English and Scottish sides.
Fans of Liverpool will be eager to see what new faces turn up at Anfield in the summer as the club aim to make some new signings in the transfer market for the club to continue its transformation and rebuilding process. But whilst players like Charlie Adam of Blackpool are being linked to a move to Anfield in a big money transfer, there could be a cheaper option for boss Kenny Dalglish and the Liverpool board if they want it.
Midfielder Alberto Aquilani, currently on loan at Serie A club Juventus, is set to return to Liverpool in the summer, although many expect that trip to see him collecting the rest of his belongings as he moves back to Italy for good. But the midfielder has said he hasn’t ruled out a possible return to playing in the Premier League if Juventus or another club do not come in for him.
Whilst Blackpool manager Ian Holloway seems to want over £10 million for Charlie Adam, could keeping Aquilani on the books at Anfield be a more viable option? Quite possibly, despite his unfortunate start at Anfield with injuries, the Italian made 26 appearances in his debut season although rarely completed a full game.
Whilst on loan at Juventus this season he’s got 2 goals in 22 appearances in Serie A, but the club may struggle to match the transfer fee that was agreed to be completed after the year loan. With Liverpool extending the contract of midfielder Lucas Leiva recently there could also be an option to keep Aquilani as long as his fitness has improved.
The Italian could also move to former club Roma if Juve fail to sign him on a permanent contract or will Liverpool welcome him back? He could be an excellent playmaker in the middle for the likes of Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez to feed off from, although Reds fans will question his fitness.
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After all, despite the player coming back from a loan deal, we can’t forget that he cost the club £17 million in the summer of 2009 under Rafa Benitez. Towards the end of that debut season he did put in some impressive performances in the midfield for Liverpool and perhaps Dalglish may want to take a gamble on the player whilst using the transfer budget for other positions like a top Left-Back.
Chelsea midfielder Decohas reiterated his desire to leave Stamford Bridge and return to Brazil.
The 32-year-old midfielder still has 12 months remaining on his contract but is hoping to return to his homeland in order to finish his career.
Deco, who played international football for Portugal, was a peripheral figure at Chelsea during the closing weeks of the last Premier League season.
The former FC Porto and Barcelona midfielder has made 55 appearances for the Blues following his arrival in June 2008.
"It's been 13 years since I left Brazil for playing in Europe," said Deco, who has been strongly linked with a move to Fluminese.
"Now I want to go back home and play in my country because I have never been able to win a title there.
"I want to return to Brazil most of all because of personal reasons but I am still in contract at Chelsea and I have to resolve that. Without I doubt I know that I owe it to my career to win a title in Brazil.
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"I want to have the chance to win a Brazilian domestic league title and a Copa Libertadores as I imagine that it must be a very strong sensation.
"I expect to have my situation resolved before July 26 for being able to travel to Brazil as soon as possible."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Football is littered with clichés, those throw away phrases that are used all too often to tell us absolutely nothing. ‘It was a game of two halves’, ‘he gave 110%’ and ‘there are no easy games’ came make any supporter sick.
But perhaps the most poisonous comment that anybody can make is that somebody has “potential”.
It is the proverbial noose, ready to strangle anybody that threatens to be the next best thing.
And while often it is used to define that young starlet set to burst onto the scene, it can also brand managers who are destined for the top. But instead of rising to the challenge, they have fallen into the all too common pit of “What might have been”.
Here are ten managers whose undoubted talents have gone to waste – click on Hoddle to unveil the list
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Juventus coach Luigi Delneri has dismissed speculation he could leave his post at the Stadio Olimpico at the end of the Serie A season.Juve have been below their best at both domestic and European level this term, having slumped to seventh on the Italian table and failing to make it past the Europa League group stages.Their poor form has led to speculation Delneri could be departing the Turin club in the coming months, but the Juve manager said such talk was without truth.”The coach lives on his working beliefs and does not change his mind on the job he has done so far from one day to the other,” Delneri told reporters ahead of Juve’s clash with AC Milan on Saturday.”I’ve never done this and I’ll never do it. I’ll always keep on following my path, despite what the others say and write.””I already have a contract for next year. I don’t have to ask, I already have the contract.””I think that no one can ask me if I’ll still be coach of Juventus next year. Of course the football world is kind of special, and what is right today could be wrong tomorrow afternoon and vice versa.””I only have to focus on my job and my job today is also to talk about AC Milan.”League leaders Milan travel to Turin desperate to maintain their five-point margin over rivals Inter Milan, who have risen to second on the table following a remarkable turnaround under new boss Leonardo.A Juve win would potentially throw the Scudetto title race wide open, and Delneri is confident his side can come away with such a result.”We’re motivated. We know that we’ll be facing a very competitive team, which is proving to deserve their position in the ranking,” he said.”The players have great technical skills, but we have proved to have competitive skills as well and we’ll bring them on the pitch.””There is still time to achieve important performances and to be able to reach a certain position in the league.””We are committed to achieve a great objective and this is much more difficult than working without an objective in mind. We are very clear in mind about what we want to achieve. “
Barcelona centre-back Gerard Pique has propelled his status from United reject to arguably one of the best defenders in the world over the past 6 years, and lifting the World Cup this past weekend with Spain has only enhanced the defender’s reputation further.
The 23-year-old Spaniard started his career in Barcelona’s youth academy in 1997 and was primarily a defensive midfielder before being converted into a centre-back. Pique continued his development up until 2004, but before signing his first professional contract with Barca, the defender opted for a move to Premier league titans Manchester United, which cost the Red Devils nothing in fees due to the player’s age at the time. However his decision to leave Barcelona proved a costly one.
The defender made a total of 10 appearances in his first 2 years at the club, and made none in his third. Instead the Spaniard was offloaded on a season long-loan to Real Zaragoza in the 2006/07 season where he managed to make a better total in one year in Spain than he ever did in England. In the 2007/08 season, Pique made a further 9 appearances in the colours of United before eventually being sold back to Barcelona (for an undisclosed fee) in the summer of 2008.
His time in England proved to be a waste of time. In his 4 year spell at United, the Spanish international accumulated a total of 23 appearances and was regarded by many fans and pundits alike more as a reject than a flop at the Manchester club.
Returning back to Barcelona in 2008 was the best decision of Gerard Pique’s professional career. Since his return, the centre-back has steadily cemented a regular first-team place alongside Carlos Puyol in the Barca back-line, and has regained his confidence which went missing in England. So far the Spaniard has had two solid seasons for Barcelona notching up a total of 94 appearances for the Catalan club and in doing so has already achieved a number of honours. Pique lifted the Primera League title, Copa Del Rey and the Champions League trophy all in the 2008/09 season. Furthermore, the centre-back also aided the club to a UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup success in 2009 as well as lifting the Primera League title last season. The Spaniard has impressed immensely in Europe and domestic competitions which no doubt earned him a shot in the Spanish national squad.
Pique featured in every World Cup game this summer for his country, and performed exceptionally well considering the player’s age. The centre-back was a solid performer throughout the tournament, and along with his club team-mate (Carlos Puyol) beside him, Pique certainly showed he is no flop, but a world beater.
The defender has completely turned his career around in the past 2 years. Gerard Pique is now considered by many football fans around the globe (including me) amongst the best in the world at what he is paid to do. The Spanish international may always be remembered as a United reject, which may be warranted, but Pique is far from this these days. At 23 years of age, Gerard Pique can only get better and enhance his already reputable status even further as the years go by.
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Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer
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Another week, and another example of football being under attack. A few weeks back, social media sites were buzzing with the upcoming revelations on that night’s Dispatches programme. The programme looked at drug use amongst footballers, and all the talk was about it naming a top, top player who had been suspended for drug use and then sold on without the buying club being made aware of his murky past.
It’s all par for the course though, as we’ve been here before. Hard-hitting exposes that hit us with the force of a small sponge dropped onto a blancmange, leaving you to say “is that it?”
Sites such as Twitter promote the feeling of anti-climax – rumours spread, and the truth is never as exciting as the rumour, in the same way that journalists tweet of upcoming breaking news (AND IT’S BIG FOLKS!) and then you read that Inter Milan might, at some point in the future, make a bid for Gareth Bale, and you feel cheated. And they never bid anyway.
TV producers know the obvious, that football is big business, and investigating it and unearthing scandal could be a ratings winner. And like any multi-billion pound, global business, there will be plenty to investigate, as it will never be whiter-than-white. How could it be? But have these programmes really told you anything you didn’t know or at least suspect already?
If you watched the Dispatches programme, did it prompt much discussion? Are you still thinking about it? Can you remember a single footballer named in the programme? Dispatches knew they weren’t dealing with the biggest players, so had to embellish descriptions with “full international” and “tipped to be a premiership star”.
The fact is that of the 2000 or so footballers plying their trade in this country, the law of averages and the forces of human nature (especially when large amounts of money are at hand) will determine that some will misbehave. Some will crash cars, get up to mischief in nightclubs and some will obviously take drugs. I am betting some cricketers have taken cocaine too, and some rugby players. How about a programme exposing cocaine use amongst badminton players? Guess there’s not much of a call for that.
The programme followed familiar lines – lots of stern to-camera pieces from the presenter, lots of arty camera angles and concerned faces. The presenter sat in a converted loft surrounded by computer screens and stomped round various venues looking shocked and appalled. He started by discussing Kolo Toure’s drug ban and the length of his suspension – no new news or revelations here – the programme makers managed to find someone who thought the ban wasn’t severe enough – well I never, hold the front pages.
The programme’s main contention was that clubs and football authorities are complicit in keeping failed tests for recreational drugs out of the public eye, with 21 positive cocaine tests since 2003, most of which had not been disclosed to the public.
A cover up, or an FA policy not to report recreational drug use and that these drugs do not enhance performance and thus the players have some sort of right to privacy? The scandal is that players aren’t being named. This isn’t much of a scandal – it might be wrong, but it isn’t a scandal. Players not being suspended would be a scandal.
The alleged case of Garry O’Connor – described as “one of the brightest talents in Scottish football” – was given plenty of coverage (so bright was his talent that Barnsley subsequently released him). But how big a revelation was this anyway? The Daily Record reported O’Connor’s arrest on suspicion of possession on May 17 this year. He was in court as recently as September 5 over the charges, with the case deferred until the end of the month. So Dispatches’ shocking revelation was to repeat openly available news. If you didn’t already know about O’Connor’s antics, like most if us, it’s probably because you’re not really that bothered.
Another feature of the programme was asking members of the public their opinion – the ultimate in padding (and irrelevant). A TV programme is always in trouble when it has to ask members of the public for opinions – apart from the fact that if you asked enough people you could get someone to agree to anything, (that Paul Merson is a great pundit!), these vox pops add nothing to what the programme is trying to achieve. Leon Knight appeared to make unsubstantiated allegations that cocaine use was rife and that he had seen players at one of his former clubs snorting it. He could be telling the truth of course, but it’s hardly compelling television, as the evidence is not there. As a final act of desperation, we heard the claim by one expert that a player on coke could flip out and hurt somebody in a tackle (a leap of faith having been taken that players were snorting lines of cocaine during the pre-match team talk).
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This was just the latest in a long line of “football scandal” programmes of course. In September 2006 Panorama showed a documentary called “Undercover: Football’s Dirty Secrets”, which alleged payments in English football contrary to the rules of the Football Association, involving then Bolton Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce, and his agent son Craig, for taking “bungs” from agents for signing certain players. Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp is secretly filmed discussing the possibility of buying the Blackburn Rovers captain Andy Todd with agent Peter Harrison, which is against Football Association rules. And whilst it may be against the rules, it is hardly earth-shattering stuff. Either way, allegations of Redknapp and his transfer dealings were hardly new, or surprising. Rumours have been rife for many a year. And if you wanted full details of such allegations against Redknapp, you could already have read a whole chapter in Tom Bower’s book Broken Dreams. Chelsea director of youth football Frank Arnesen is secretly filmed making an illegal approach or “tapping up” Middlesbrough’s England youth star 15-year-old Nathan Porritt.
Tapping up eh? Wow, I can’t believe that happens, I’m going to have to sit down and regain my composure after that bombshell.
On 29 November 2010, three days before voting for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Panorama aired an in depth investigation into bribes by senior FIFA officials. But then we knew this already didn’t we? If news that FIFA was a bit bent surprised you, then you’re probably not aware that bears like to defecate in wooded areas or the religious persuasion of the Pope. The timing was predictable for getting the best ratings, but its main effect was probably to damage England’s chances of hosting the World Cup, if any chance existed in the first place.
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Donal MacIntyre, given his own series MacIntyre Undercover on BBC One in 1999, covered his exploits among a gang of football hooligans, the Chelsea Headhunters. To sound like a broken record, it told us little new, though was a superb piece of investigation by MacIntyre.
And in July this year Channel 4 showed a documentary about wealthy businessmen and consortium buying football clubs in England – a Dispatches programme once more. “How To Buy A Football Club” featured an undercover reporter claiming to represent a wealthy group of investors in a journey that took the reporter to the brink of buying a League One football club. It showed Bryan Robson as a front for the groups London Nominees and the Football Fund, two investment groups, and whilst he may not have come across that well, there was no evidence of dishonesty or fraud from him.
The broker of deals was a Bangkok bar owner called Joe Sim, a man who claims connections across the football and had the number, and shared company of a certain Alex Ferguson. But once more, there was little substance behind the news. Ferguson distanced himself from Sim, and there was no proof of any wrongdoing on his part, except choosing the wrong friends. Again, a programme showing foreign businessmen trying to buy clubs and get round competition rules is no small deal, but hardly surprising, and most football fans have known about these strange consortiums in recent years. We’re still trying to work out who owned Notts County, who owns Leeds, and a whole host of other clubs with a rather eclectic board set-up.
The programmes are well-made (sometimes) and show good investigative practices – I don’t want to appear to be completely dismissing them as garbage – they are not, and I understand fully why they were made, and why they were hyped up. They add a little meat to the bones and reveal a few new stories we may be unaware of. The issues they dealt with are not to be dismissed or treated lightly. My point is, they didn’t really shock or surprise most of us. We know most of it already. We football fans might turn a blind eye if a Thai dictator with a winning smile takes over our club, or if a player has a mystery “virus” for 6 months, but we know the score. Football inevitably attracts bad people, and bad things happen on and off the pitch. Some of the worst practices have happened further down the football pyramid, where clubs have been virtually destroyed by bad practices and unscrupulous owners and operators. The producers of Dispatches might be better served investigating the truly great scandals of the game’s recent history – but there might not be as many viewers to be earned by doing that.
The agent for Belgian international Steven Defour believes the central midfielder’s future is in the Premier League.Player representative Paul Stefani told Sport.co.uk that the 22-year-old Standard Liege star is ready for a summer move after recovering from a couple of serious injuries.Defour has been linked with a number of English clubs in the past, with Liverpool one of those keen on buying the player, who would command a 10 million pound transfer fee.”He has returned and made a full recovery, so we must keep our fingers crossed for the future, and hope that he doesn’t get a fresh injury,” Stefani said.”Now he has a very big hope that things are going well. Every top club is following him and regularly watching him, but there is no concrete contact.”The Premier League is something he likes very much, and he has performed well against Liverpool and Everton in Europe, he was one of the best players on the pitch. I think in the summer the Premier League would suit him for sure.”Kenny Dalglish has hinted at a number of summer additions as he looks to revamp the Liverpool squad in his mould, and the centre of midfield is thought to be a position of interest to the Scotsman.Christian Poulsen has failed to impress with his limited opportunities, and Sport.co.uk claims Defour has his ‘heart set’ on a move to England. Manchester United and Arsenal have also been monitoring the player in the past, with Sir Alex Ferguson famously writing the player a letter after a serious injury back in 2008.Liverpool were first linked with the player last year, with the Daily Mirror claiming the Merseysiders would challenge United for the player’s signature.
Surprisingly, Arsene Wenger is reportedly ready to splash out £30 million this summer to recruit new players as he prepares to launch yet another assault on the Premier League next season.
Wenger’s wish-list this summer consists of four players, Fulham’s veteran goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, Everton’s Phil Jagielka, Chelsea’s Joe Cole and Lorient’s Laurent Koscielny, all of which are realistic targets. However, are they the correct players to be targeting with a £30 million transfer kitty? Personally, I don’t think so
Not to say Wenger doesn’t know what he is doing because in my opinion, the man is an Arsenal icon who has accomplished great things for the North London club since his arrival in 1996, but I, (maybe along with some other Arsenal fans reading this) feel that he is targeting the wrong players in the right positions. I for one am actually very surprised to hear that Wenger is willing to splash the cash, as he hasn’t done this in several years. Although, I sense that at least 2-3 player’s that Mr. Wenger has targeted this summer won’t adapt well into the Arsenal squad.
If I were in Wenger’s shoes as Arsenal boss, my aim would be to acquire at least four players with the £30 million transfer funds available (one of which is free) and Le Professeur has already expressed an interest in. Nevertheless, here is what I would spend the £30 million on this summer, enjoy:
Joe Hart (Manchester City)
My first protocol would be to acquire a young, talented and reliable goalkeeper and Joe Hart fits that description perfectly. He would be a definite transfer target for me without a doubt.
Arsenal suffered severely in this department last season and many will agree (along with me) that if the Gunners had a great keeper guarding the net, then they could have gone further than they did. Too many goals were conceded, and although people will say that the defence contributed to this (which evidently they did), however, its Manuel Almunia with the gloves on, and as such, needs to keep the ball out of his net…its what he’s paid for after all. Lukasz Fabianski is still young so I can’t really bad mouth the lad, but he proved with his performances last season that he lacks confidence and can’t handle pressure well, he is simply not ready.
With this all being said I would look to acquire Joe Hart from City this summer. The 23-year-old had a fantastic season on loan for Birmingham City, but is now back in Eastland’s after his long loan spell expired in May.
The shot-stopper’s future remains in the balance at City with Shay Given the obvious no.1. Hart is a great keeper who can only get better with time, and with his future unresolved, I would certainly look to buy the England international for sure. A bid of around £9 million would acquire his services, which is a real bargain in my opinion.
Cash Spent: £9 million
Total Funds Left: £21 million
Turn to page 2 to see the 3 other players on the list
Simon Kjaer (Palermo)
Having watched the 21-year-old Danish defender against the Netherlands the other day, I would certainly say that he is another player to obtain this summer. The Palermo youngster is a highly-rated centre-back in European football today, and as a result, has attracted a number of clubs in recent weeks.
Sol Campbell, William Gallas, Philippe Senderos and Mikael Silvestre seem to be all looking towards the exit doors of the Emirates, so a purchase of a top defender this summer is a must for the Gunners in my opinion.
I feel Arsenal need a young centre-back in their ranks, someone capable of playing for a big club and can handle pressure as well…all signs point to Kjaer. The defender would adapt well to the English game and would fit well into the current Arsenal squad without much hassle. Kjaer has great positional, aerial and tackling ability, attributes that need improving in the Arsenal back-line.
The defender has a release clause within his existing contract of £12 million, so if I were the Arsenal boss, I would certainly offer the amount in order to break the clause and discuss personal terms with the Danish international as soon as possible. Arsenal fans may think that they need a more experienced centre-back, they maybe right, but for a player of his age and ability, £12 million would go down as a great piece of business.
Cash Spent: £12 million
Total Funds Left: £9 million
Joe Cole (Chelsea)
I agree with Wenger’s pursuit of the out-of-favour Chelsea winger Joe Cole, although this would not affect my budget at all. Cole would be a great asset to Arsenal, as the North London club need some injection of English blood in their squad. The midfielder has great ability and trickery to suit the style of the Gunners and I’m sure many Arsenal fans will welcome the 28-year-old with open arms. Cole would sign on a free, and as a result would be a remarkable signing for the club. However, his salary demands may cost the club in the excess of £120,000-a-week, still he would require no transfer fee, so it’s all good in hindsight.
Cash Spent: £0
Total Funds Left: £9 million
John Heitinga (Everton)
£9 million left in the kitty, why not spend it on Everton’s John Heitinga? Wenger has shown interest in Heitinga’s Everton team-mate Phil Jagielka, but I feel, although Jagielka is a decent defender, the Englishman just doesn’t look the Arsenal type…John Heitinga on the other hand is.
The Dutchman is strong, quick and not afraid to get stuck in. Even more so, the Everton man can play in the centre-back position as well as sit in front of the back-line, so evidently, it would be like signing two players for the price of one. He already has Premiership experience, and if he were to play with Thomas Vermaelen next season, they would make one hell of a defensive partnership for the Gunners. Incidentally, Heitinga is valued at £9 million, which is what is left in my transfer budget.
Cash Spent: £9 million
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Total Funds Left: £0
£30 million spent, four new arrivals, job done.
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