Arsene Wenger looks set to face a battle to keep hold of Alex Song, following news that Inter Milan have joined Barcelona in expressing an interest in the 24 year old midfielder. (talkSport)
Song moved to Arsenal in 2006 and has developed into an established member of the current Arsenal side.
However, with Barcelona and Inter Milan currently considering January moves Song may be tempted to leave the North London club in search of trophies, which have thus far eluded him in his time at Arsenal.
Inter Milan have struggled this season in Serie A, currently sitting in 17th after 9 games. However, Massimo Moratti is already looking to next season and is set to give boss Claudio Ranieri at transfer package looking at the next 18 months.
Song, at 24, would fit the bill perfectly and would add some much needed steel and energy to the Inter Milan midfield. An offer of over £20 million may be enough to tempt Arsene Wenger to part with one of his longest serving players.
Ranieri is also looking to target controversial Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli. The striker previously enjoyed a tumultuous spell in Italy at Inter, although a return is now a serious possibility following Ranieri’s interest.
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The other day I was looking back at photos of a night out I had at University. Struggling to recall the night I tried to pull of a flowery Hawaiian shirt and a John Hartson beard, I was forced to remember the sporting event of the day and how I watched it. That night, four years ago, was one of those meaningless friendlies between Spain and England that provided the bread for Steve McClaren’s disastrous qualifying campaign for Euro 2008.
Although we could have not appreciated it at the time, the game was actually quite a significant one for several of England’s squad players. The defeat at Old Trafford turned out to be Gary Neville’s final appearance in international colours, the controversial Joey Barton made his England debut and a certain Kieron Dyer impressed as part of the England midfield.
Dyer, then a Newcastle United player, was the perennial nearly man for England for the best part of a decade. A youth team prospect at Ipswich, a 1999 move to St James Park was seen as the start of a glittering Premier League career for the flying winger.
Yet, this week Dyer, at the age of 32, returned to Portman Road having been unable to fulfil his talents and potential at the top level of domestic and international football. Incapable of featuring regularly for Premier League strugglers West Ham, Dyer has dropped a division to ensure his former employers do not drop into the relegation quagmire.
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The winger was a young prospect for such a long time that you had to check that he wasn’t a character from ‘Captain Scarlet’ – sadly for Dyer he was anything but invincible. With a succession of hamstring and knee injuries blighting his attempts to push on, the midfielder spent vast chunks of his prime years on the sidelines. From young gun to vulnerable old-timer in a matter of seasons, the fall from grace has been dramatic.
It is a wonder that he managed 33 games for England – places in squads for the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004 were secured through promising runs of form when at Newcastle, but a lack of first team action since 2004 has limited Dyer to two caps in seven years.
Dyer’s move to West Ham in 2007 actually appeared a positive career move. Having finished the 2006-07 season strongly at Newcastle, he remained hot property and his joining Freddie Ljungberg in the capital excited fans looking to build on the Hammers team that had miraculously escaped relegation the previous year. Both men were quickly injured – Dyer’s broken leg at the hands of Joe Jacobson of Bristol Rovers, kept him out of the game for over 18 months and in truth marked the terminal decline in trajectory of his career.
In recent months, Dyer’s time at West Ham has become a case study of the crazy money thrown around at the club before the global economic downturn. Last summer it was reported in The Daily Telegraph that the winger was being paid a staggering £83,000 per week, alongside loyalty bonuses and image rights exceeding an extra £500,000 a year. All of this for a player never to have completed 90 minutes for his club nor to have scored a single goal, indicates just how expensive the Dyer gamble has been for the London club.
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As he completes his month long loan spell in the Championship with his boyhood club, Dyer himself might still harbour hopes of returning to play a role in West Ham’s struggle for Premier League survival before the end of the season. However, with his contract up at the end of the campaign, the overwhelming likelihood remains that he will never return to the top level and that Portman Road will be the last stop on the Kieron Dyer career train.
Remember the last time Kieron Dyer played 90 minutes for club or country? Find me on Twitter for the answer to this and why I spent 94 minutes watching ‘John Tucker Must Die’ last night instead of Sevilla – Barcelona.
Roberto Mancini seems to be the busiest Premier League manager so far as the Italian has already managed to acquire the services of midfielder Yaya Toure, Patrick Viera, Jerome Boateng and just recently Spanish star David Silva, even before the window has officially opened.
So, with all these players making their way to Eastlands this season, and considering the current size of the City squad, does Mancini’s transfer policy continue to confuse?
Manchester City have a massive squad which consists of (including the recent acquisitions) three goalkeepers, twelve recognized defenders, eleven midfielders, and seven strikers…a total of 32 players (an equivalent to just under three teams), which makes City undoubtedly one of (if not) the biggest squads within the Premier League.
Mancini has sufficient funds available to him this summer and it looks as if the scarf wearing manager is scouring for even more players to add to his already enormous squad. Many neutral fans and maybe some City ones will question the Italians transfer policy this summer which seems to be focusing mainly on midfielders and defenders, which he doesn’t really require.
It’s rather confusing to see the City boss purchase players in this area as the club already have several options in both departments. There will no doubt be a number of departures for with the new faces coming in, so the signings he has made are good ones up until now. However, why did Mancini sign Patrick Vieira for another season and is reportedly looking to get rid of fan favourite Nigel De Jong? De Jong is clearly one of city’s best performers, and to see him leave the club this summer would be a big disappointment for a lot of the fans.
It’s quite a task just to figure out what the City team will actually look like for the upcoming season. A few names such as, Yaya Toure, David Silva and Carlos Tevez are surely going to be starting, but as for the other places in the team, they look to be up for grabs. Jerome Boateng would likely feature in the starting eleven, but who’s position will he be taking is another mystery due to the defender’s versatility. Mancini has way too much midfielders, (who are all capped at international level by the way) and reports suggest that he is looking to bring yet another midfielder in the form of James Milner…its almost becoming an obsession for the Italian.
Mancini maybe accused of splashing the cash just for the sake of it by many fans, which in all fairness appears to be what he’s doing. However, you have to take into consideration and understand that this will be Mancini’s first full season in charge, and as such, will want to bring in and rebuild a team suited to his style. Yet, as an outsider looking in, you can’t help but be baffled at the players he is bringing in, as it seems he already has good options in these positions. It’s going to be very interesting to see who else Mancini targets this summer, because it doesn’t look like the City boss will stop now that he is rolling. Only time will tell.
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Click on image below to see the Argentinean babes at the World Cup
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Liverpool defender Jose Enrique has defended team-mate Luis Suarez over claims that the South American is prone to diving, and has stated that some of Manchester United’s players are more guilty of the claims.
The Uruguay international has come in for criticism after his willingness to go to deck under challenge, and his over-reaction was a major reason for Jack Rodwell’s dismissal in the Merseyside derby earlier in the month.
Manchester United players were unhappy with the attacker’s conduct in their 1-1 draw at Anfield ten days ago, and Suarez had a frustrating afternoon against Norwich in another 1-1 draw on Saturday.
The ex-Ajax forward missed a number of goal-scoring opportunities and felt the Canaries defenders were heavy handed, without any punishment from the officials.
Despite this, the Spanish left-back feels the accusations of diving are unwarranted.
“Last week, Sir Alex defended his team because we played them. The truth is Luis is a really dangerous player and is a really nice guy. He doesn’t dive,” the former Newcastle star told Mirror Football.
“Some of the Manchester United players go down like they are diving into the swimming pool. They defend their team, we defend our team – that’s normal.
“When you lose two points at home, no-one is positive but Luis did really well [against Norwich]. He had a lot of chances and was just unlucky,” he concluded.
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“Convicted thug”, “Lout”, “Disgrace”, “Animal”, these are some of the words that have been used to describe Joey Barton over the last few years. From drunken assaults off the pitch, to fights on the training ground, Barton has frequented the headlines of the newspapers of the last 8 years for all the wrong reasons. However, today I want to say something good about Joey Barton. You might have already lost patience with him. You might think I am mad. But I think people get Joey Barton all wrong, he can still offer a lot to the Premier League.
Football fans love to hate a bad-boy footballer. However, in Barton’s case there is not so much a pantomime villain as the likes of Robby Savage, but a genuine hatred. The difference between a Savage and a Barton, is Barton’s history, making him more villain than pantomime. This allows the media to really get stuck into him and be incredibly harsh on him.
Given the fact that Barton has been in prison, hit a pedestrian with his car, fought fans and players, and I can see where people’s hatred is coming from. But I reserve the right to respect Joey Barton this season, and here is why….
I think Abou Diaby reacted the way he did up at St James’ Park because it was Barton who made the tackle. Diaby clearly shares a preconception that people have against Barton; that he is a thuggish idiot. But if you actually listen to what he says in interviews, I would argue that not only is he remarkably eloquent for a footballer, but he is also intelligent and brave enough to say what he thinks.
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Upon his England call-up, attention was brought to Barton because in an interview he criticised Gerrard and Lampard for ‘cashing in’ on ‘bullsh*t autobiographies’ that exploited their failure in the World Cup. Barton, was presented as arrogant and fame hungry, criticising established players when he was still to make his England debut.
But Barton was right. Footballers all-too-often release money spinning books, written by ghost writers that are nothing more than a season-long diary and not a creditable autobiography. (Incidentally, Wayne Rooney has already released 5, he is only 25. Come on Wayne). Steve Gerrard even admitted that Barton was right after the incident, the fact that Frank Lampard continues to hold a grudge says more about Lampard than it does about Barton.
Another time Barton was in the spotlight was when he criticised Alan Shearer for being a ‘sh*t manager’ and using ‘sh*t tactics’. This came at a bad time for Barton who had been sent off for a tackle late into a dead game against Liverpool. Shearer then banned Barton indefinitely, and Newcastle looked into terminating Barton’s contract. However, you cannot argue with the fact that Barton was spot-on in his criticism, again. Shearer was a dreadful manager.
Now, don’t get me wrong here, he is definitely not innocent. But he is not as bad as he is made out to be. His mistakes come mostly off the pitch not on it. Abou Diaby was wrong to assume that Barton’s tackle was malicious, more it was over-zealous and an embodiment of the passion of the man.
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Barton has been honest about his mistakes and makes interesting points about modern footballers. He said that he was earning more a week at 20 than his whole family put together. This shows he was of a child’s mentality, living on a man’s wages. The point that Barton makes is that he never had to grow up. Agents and associates took care of mortgages, car insurance and all the difficult things that being an adult entails. Because of this Barton did not engage with real life for a large part of his early twenties. His honesty here highlights a problem that most young footballers suffer from due to over protection.
I am not defending some of the things Barton has done when drunk and on a night out, and I am not saying I would make him the Godfather to my kids, but I am defending the assumption that he is stupid, and I am defending the assumption he is a dirty player. He is hardly the first person to fight people on a night out, and he has said himself that where he is from it is ‘quite normal to get drunk and get in a fight’ occasionally.
I admit, he has not fully amended his ways; he has been involved with the homophobic provocation of Torres and a ‘punch’ on Morten Gamst Pedersen. But, these incidents aside, he has shown willingness to reform both on and off the pitch. For example, he has been teetotal for two years. Yes, occasionally he does stupid things, but this is more a case of his passion boiling over and not petulant behaviour like in the past. This year he has shown good self-control in the face of players who try to get the ‘red mist’ to descend by taunting and fouling him.
Barton, it seemed, was down and out after his prison sentence, and after his ruck with Shearer it seemed his career might be over. But this year he is on top form, he has a better tackle success rate (81%) than Scott Parker (77%) and Gareth Barry (76%), while having made only 2 less key passes than Cesc Fabregas (48) and Charlie Adam (45). He also has 6 assists and 4 goals. The man keeps bouncing back.
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Despite what his critics think, he can be a role model, both to kids who have committed crimes, and to kids from a similar background. He has shown that a change in attitude is possible, and he has never given up on himself and is definitely on his way to becoming a reformed character.
His is not a fairy tale story of reform, and for that reason may not get the positive attention he deserves. But he shows the realistic side of transformation, and sends a much more ‘real-life’ message to those who would see him as a role model. He shows it takes time, that it is difficult and that there will be setbacks. But if you work hard enough at it, it is achievable.
I’m not telling you to like Joey Barton. If you want to hate him, go for it. But don’t under-estimate his value in demonstrating to young people that change is possible, and don’t under-estimate how well he has played this year.
You can share your appreciating of, or aversion to, Joey Barton with me on twitter @joeaustin8
In light of England’s disappointing World Cup a novel idea to prepare for the next one could be to use Euro 2012 to try out the next group of youngsters.
Although ultimately England probably wouldn’t get very far in the competition and it would be another two years gone by where England hasn’t won anything, it could give them a real chance of winning the big prize of the World Cup. Italy tried the same technique in Euro 1980 and their young team actually managed to finish fourth, they then went on and won the World Cup in 1982. This proves that it could work but of course World Cup success is no guarantee and as England are desperate for some success, they may not be able to afford to squander another tournament.
However although the public haven’t been satisfied with England’s performance, they have also been quick to complain about youngsters not being given the chance such as Adam Johnson, Tom Huddlestone and Michael Dawson. Fabio Capello obviously deemed them too inexperienced to play them in the World Cup and the Euros could be a chance for them to gain experience. But in order for this to happen the public would have to be patient and lower their expectations, they would possibly need to be told in advance that England were not looking to win the competition.
Should England be able to pull it off then these youngsters that England have coming through could really thrive at the Euros. They’ll be less pressure on them as it isn’t a World Cup and then hopefully there would be less expectation from the English public if they were forewarned. England’s Under 21, Under 19 and Under 17 squads all reached the final of their respective Euros last year so it shows that the talent is definitely there, it just needs to be utilised in the right ways. England could consider shelving players like Emile Heskey and instead use technically gifted players which the senior team seems to be lacking. In the senior squad there is only really Joe Cole and he got far too little game time in South Africa, it is possible for England to play exciting, fluid football with a young team if the right players are picked as Germany have shown.
Using Euro 2012 to blood the next generation of youngster could be a tremendous idea for England. But in order for it succeed the main stumbling block would be getting the press and the public to lower their expectations, which would be very difficult to achieve.
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Click on image below to see the Argentinean babes at the World Cup
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Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has praised midfielder David Silva, and stated that he feels the playmaker is one of the best players in the world.
The Spain international has adapted to life in England well since his move from Valencia in 2009, and is now a key player for the Eastlands outfit.
The Italian manager feels that the diminutive Spaniard is underrated, and would not look out of place at one of the El Clasico sides.
“Silva is a top, top player. I don’t know why he didn’t go to Barca or Real Madrid because he’s Spanish but we are lucky because he’s here,” he told The Daily Mail.
“If he had gone to Barca two years ago everyone would say he’s one of the best players in the world – and he is one of the best players in the world.
“He’s different from Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo because they are strikers and score a lot of goals but I think he’s the same as Xavi and Iniesta,” the coach continued.
City start their Champions League campaign at home to Napoli on Wednesday, and Mancini knows his countrymen will provide difficult opposition.
“They are a very good team and the Champions League is not like the Premier League, we only have six games and you need to win always if you want to go in the second stage.
“It’s strange because our group is a very hard group and all the teams can finish top or in fourth position,” he admitted.
Mancini also has a dilemma over who to play in attack, with Sergio Aguero fresh from a hat-trick at the weekend, Edin Dzeko in spectacular form and Carlos Tevez back in the fray after playing against Wigan on Saturday.
“They may not be happy – that’s impossible because every player wants to play always, but I’m the manager and I need to take this decision,” he concluded.
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Football fans’ willingness to show their dedication comes in all shapes and sizes. One such way is to splay their dedication over their body in the form of a tattoo. I can understand why somebody might choose to tattoo their footballing allegiance onto their body. Whilst women come and go, a football team is for life. It’s the manly man’s equivalent of getting “I love mom’ yet a tattoo is a big commitment, so it’s important to get it right. As you can imagine, this process isn’t always a success.
Below are the top 10 Newcastle United tattoos to be found on the net – the good, the bad and the plain ugly.
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Click on the tattoo below to unveil the gallery
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Have you got a better Newcastle tattoo? Football FanCast would like to invite the readers to submit their own entry via our Facebook Page. The winning entries will go forward to our grand competition to find the best tattoo in the Premier League.
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WAGS, WAGS, WAGS… the media just can’t get enough of them and as we finish the Premier League season we couldn’t resist creating our very own WAG Idol, to find out which player has the loveliest bit of skirt on his arm.
We are running a series of club heats – so please select the wag that gives your club the best chance of taking the Wag crown.
Just click on the individual images of beauties to upload their galleries, so you can get a look of them in greater detail!
Abbey Clancy – First up is lanky Spurs striker Peter Crouch’s long-term girlfriend Abbey Clancy. The blonde bombshell is one of Liverpool’s finest exports and the model has been flying the flag for England ahead of the 2010 World Cup in a Sports Illustrated shoot. The leggy blonde first caught the eye when she appeared in Britain’s Next Top Model in 2006 and since then she has been the lady of choice for a number of TV and magazine ads. Crouch’s fiancé seems to be down to earth and added to her undoubted beauty makes the Tottenham and England striker one lucky man.
Claudine Palmer – Tottenham striker Robbie Keane is currently away from White Hart Lane as he’s on loan until the end of the season to SPL giants Celtic, but as he’s still officially contracted to Spurs then Claudine deserves her spot here. Keane has been with his missus Claudine Palmer for over six years and the happily married couple seem to have a pretty solid relationship. The Irish model is a former Miss Ireland contestant and the pretty blonde got married to Keane in 2008 in Dublin. But how does she compare to Clancy in the battle of the Tottenham blondes?
Kimberley Mills – David Bentley has profited from an injury to Aaron Lennon in recent weeks to earn his place in the limelight once more after an extended period of time left sitting on the bench, but his long-term girlfriend does an admirable job of keeping herself to herself. However, that means that we haven’t got to see much of Kimberley Mills and that’s a real shame as she scrubs up rather well. The blonde hairdresser did make an appearance in Nuts TV’s Real Footballer’s Wives in one of her few public appearances, but a lack of exposure shouldn’t be held against her.
Imogen Thomas – Although apparently single at the moment (watch out ladies), one of Jermain Defoe’s most recent WAGs was Welsh beauty Imogen Thomas. The 2003 winner of Miss Wales appeared in Big Brother in 2006 and by dating Defoe she became one of many reality TV stars to become a footballer’s WAG. She took the conventional route from reality TV to general celebrity but her relationship with Defoe was always likely to be short lived. The glamour model cited that she preferred to stay at home and with Defoe renowned for hitting the nightclubs their time together was quickly over.
Danielle Lloyd – Lloyd is never one to shy away from the limelight. The former Miss England and Miss Great Britain got into strife in the 2007 edition of Celebrity Big Brother during a race row, whilst more recently she has shown a better side of herself by appearing in a documentary about domestic violence. O’Hara isn’t the only footballer that the often unhealthily tanned Lloyd has been involved with either, with the likes of Jermain Defoe, Teddy Sheringham and Marcus Bent all been seen on her arm over the years.
REMEMBER – Just click on the individual images of beauties to upload their galleries, so you can get a look of them in greater detail!
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So who do you think deserves to be Tottenham’s representative in our search for the greatest Premier League WAG?
Barcelona are ready to make a move to sign Arsenal midfielder Alex Song this summer, The Sun report.
The Cameroon international has grown in stature at the Emirates Stadium in recent seasons, and as such has become an important figure in Arsene Wenger’s squad.
With Jack Wilshere injured and Cesc Fabregas departing this time last year, Song played a key role in steering the north London club to a third-placed finish last term.
The African midfielder’s progression has not gone un-noticed, and the Catalan giants are weighing up a £16 million bid for the enforcer.
The Camp Nou side’s first choice for a new defensive midfielder is Athletic Bilbao’s Javi Martinez, but the Spain international has made his intention to stay at San Mames clear, and Bilbao are asking an extortionate amount of money for their homegrown hero.
As such Tito Vilanova’s men are turning their attention elsewhere, and Song could be the latest target for Barcelona as they look to win back their La Liga crown next term.
By Gareth McKnight
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