Latest football rumours and paper talk, Man Utd, Man City, Spurs and Chelsea

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic has recovered from his knee injury and great form for his LA Galaxy. Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is reported to keep his eyes on Zlatan with a possible loan return possible in January.

Victor Moses is a player that at the moment is a bit out in the shadows at Chelsea, Napoli and Brighton are just two clubs that could need a player like Moses in their team. The utility man can operate in a number of positions.

Ashley Young is ready to commit his future to Manchester United, the 33 year old is ready to sign a new two year contract at Old Trafford. We all have to see what Jose Mourinho is thinking.

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Alexis Sanchez is ready to quit Manchester United and move to France and Paris St Germain, one move that would probably suit everyone since the move from Arsenal last season is not one considered the greatest of success.

Gary Cahill is monitoring his situation at Chelsea and could reconsider his wish to leave in January. China was one rumor in the summer, but what will happen now is an uncertainty. David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger are the two Sarri favors in central defense at the moment.

Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope is on the Tottenham radar. Pochettino is eying the former Charlton man as a possible signing in the January window. With Heaton and Hart also available for The Clarets, a sale might happen.

Paul Lambert is the front runner for the vacant manager position at Ipswich Town. Paul Hurst didn’t last long seeing his time with Tractor Boys as a terrible nightmare after moving from Shrewsbury Town.

Antonio Conte is a favorite in the race for the possible manager vacancy at Real Madrid. Julen Lopetegui could be gone by next week. Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is another name appearing as a possibility.

Atlanta United sensation Miguel Almiron is a close target for Arsenal, who seems to be the front runner in the chase, with also Tottenham being linked. The 24 year old attacking midfielder is representing Paraguay at international level.

Hirving Lozano is a target for Chelesa, with Sarri ready to bolster his attacking options. The PSV Eindhoven winger / forward has a great scoring ratio in Dutch football, 25 goals in 38 league appearances. Lozano is a Mexican and also playing in the national team.

Leeds are flying high in the Championship and their manager Marcelo Bielsa is considering a move for Alaves forward Ibai Gomez. Gomez (28) is currently with Alaves but has a past together with Bielsa at Athletic Bilbao.

October 26, 2018 0

The strange way of measuring success, this seasons Arsenal stats tells the story

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To see Unai Emery doing well is not bad at all, a good manager with a great approach to the game and one who will probably be able to follow in the footsteps of Arsene Wenger.

But to fell in the trap and measure Emery on the games played lately and his good record has also to be based on the fact that the fixture list is giving The Gunners a chance to do so, against teams that they in 10 of 10 games should win against anyway.

If we measure up this against the stats of Arsene Wenger in the same games or similar games last season, the problem for Wenger was that the fixture list was different.

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Emery lost the two first games of the season against two good teams, Manchester City and Chelsea, and everyone was saying give this guy time. The next games have all been against opponents Arsenal should be winning against as said above.

The last game against Leicester City makes you start to wonder were Arsenal are going, after a first half dominated by The Foxes. 2nd half was a memory of what could be seen at Highbury in the days of Bergkamp and Henry, fantastic football, one touch play based on a captain Ozil who Claude Puel, the Leicester City manager ignored and had no plan what so ever to stop, he was magnificent the Arsenal captain.

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To see Arsenal defeat opponents at home, such as Leicester, Everton, West Ham, Brentford, Watford and Vorska should be a formality. To win away is always good and should not be taken away from them, as they did against teams in the relegation zone, Fulham, Newcastle and Cardiff, and also defeating Quarabac in the Europa League.

Last season in the same games under Arsene Wenger, at home v. Leicester (4-3), Everton (5-1), West Ham (4-1), Watford (3-0), away against Newcastle (1-2) is a better result, picking out two other teams who got relegated last season, Swansea, Stoke or West Bromwich, you will see that Arsenal was defeated by both Stoke and Swansea, and mangaged a draw against West Bromwich. Among the teams played away that was relegated last season, the result against Stoke City was the only one coming early. None of those three were newly promoted sides and had a relatively long life behind them in the top flight.

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In the two games, Unai Emery, have lost this season, Arsene Wenger had better stats, defeat at home against Man City (0-3) and a draw away to Chelsea (0-0).

Arsenal won the two first games in the Europa League last season, against Cologne and Bate Borisov. Arsenal managed to go all the way to the semi-final of this tournament and ended 6th in the Premier League.

The difference at the moment is small and to reach the same level of success that Arsene Wenger had last season will be a tall order for Unai Emery. To fail in the semi-final against one of the best teams in Europe, Atletico Madrid is far fram disastrous.

To see Arsene Wenger lose his job after that season is difficult to understand and please do not sit and smile and believe a possible lie, not take into consideration the fixtures, how they are organized and what teams you are playing at what time.

The change and the sack of Wenger is based on what the Frenchman managed to do at the club in previous seasons and that his performances were in decline, and that does have something to do with all the sales of his best players. Hopefully Unai Emery will be able to fix that difficulty to keep the best players at the club, something surely Arsene Wenger struggled to accomplish.

Why players likes to leave a club like Arsenal is a massive and strange scenario, but the cash flow and the board at the club might have something to do with it. Arsenal are a selling club, and as we all know, going a bit back, Liverpool, Barcelona, Manchester City, Manchester United and Juventus are all going to North London to find their market, that will probably not change under Emery either, as it has been the pattern the last 50 years.

October 24, 2018 0

Two Liverpool footballers, neither red or blue, brought up in other camps!

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Going back in time you will surely find a number of players who never played in the first teams at Liverpool or Everton, but had a glorious football careers somewhere else.

The first player to mention of those going away is Dennis Mortimer. Mortimer will for many be recognized as the captain of Aston Villa. The player that lifted the European Cup and the football league trophy in two seasons early in the 80’s. Mortimer was born in Liverpool but never played for any of the Merseyside clubs. He spent most of his time in football at Villa and before Coventry City. He also had spells at Brighton and Birmingham, and playing on loan at Sheffield United.

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The other player on my list is Steve Coppell, picked up for a minor fee from Tranmere Rovers, by Tommy Docherty, at the time manager at Manchester United. Coppell started his professional career at Birkenhead club Tranmere Rovers, and again only played for the two clubs and despite being one of the finest wingers in the game, and a proven England international, never playing in his city of birth.

Coppell played for England, and made his debut in this remarkable win v. Italy, at Wembley in 1977. He went on to play in the Euro’s and World Cup. During his days at Manchester United he picked up a winners medal in the FA Cup (77) and ended runners-up in two other occasions (76/79).

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Mortimer and Coppell had a glorious football career and after retirement they moved in different directions in football. Coppell made the most out of an early opportunity to become manager at Crystal Palace being a popular man around Selhurst Park. He has stayed in management since 1984, being around at different clubs besides The Eagles. Done well, especially at Reading, taking them up to the highest level as he did with Crystal Palace. Coppell is today a manager in India with ATK.

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Mortimer has worked in football as well, mostly in a coaching capacity, working at West Bromwich Albion as one of his clubs during the days of Keith Burkinshaw and Ossie Ardiles. Mortimer also worked in media for a time and is one you would describe as one of the best players never to be capped by England. Mortimer received a honorary decoration by the University of Worcester for his “outstanding contribution to football”.

Watching Coppell play at Manchester United and Mortimer at Aston Villa was a thrill. Coppell a great winger who had to leave the game as early as the age of 29, and Mortimer doing a fantastic job, captaining Aston Villa to those amazing two titles.

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Later this picture shows Coppell as manager for Crystal Palace in that 1990 FA Cup final v. Manchester United. A thriller of a clash, first game ending 3-3 and then Sir Alex and his team were the strongest, winning 1-0 with that Lee Martin goal.

October 19, 2018 0