Crewe Alexandra manager Steve Davis is currently considering whether to extend the loan of highly rated Arsenal youngster Chuks Aneke, according to Sky Sports.
The 19-year-old picked up a straight red card on his full debut after a two footed challenge on Stevenage’s Anthony Grant in a 2-2 draw last week. As a consequence of Aneke’s 3-match ban, the midfielder will now only be available to play for the Railwaymen for one more game – which is at home to Oldham on October 2nd – before his loan spell expires.
Alexandra boss Davis admits he was frustrated by the red card, “We are now without Chuks for three games and it is disappointing because we are short of midfield players. It is also disappointing for Chuks because he wanted to come here and show everyone the ability he has.”
Davis believes that the England under-19 international is keen to remain at Gresty Road, “He wants to play and we will discuss about extending his loan or not when the time comes. We haven’t made a decision yet and I will contact (assistant manager) Steve Bould at Arsenal and discuss things. He would have seen the challenge and know he isn’t that sort of player.”
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The Crewe manager believes that it would be a disservice to Aneke’s talent if he wasn’t to extend his stay in the midlands, “Chuks has the ability and it is a shame that he hasn’t been able to have the impact he would have wanted because of his three-match suspension.”
It has been revealed that Manchester United are reportedly considering the signing of Brede Hangeland from Fulham this January.
Hangeland would be available for a free transfer next summer when his contract at Craven Cottage expires, but Sir Alex Ferguson may want to beat the last-minute scramble for his signature and pay a small fee for his services in January.
Would the Norwegian represent a good signing for Ferguson’s side, considering their defensive issues at the start of the season?
The 31-year-old has proved that he is a centre-back of tremendous quality since arriving at Fulham from FC Copenhagen in 2008, with his towering height and no-nonsense attitude being comparable to Nemanja Vidic.
At this present moment in time, United are desperately struggling with defensive injuries; and Ferguson only has Johnny Evans and Rio Ferdinand as his two remaining fit centre-halves, after Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Vidic were all ruled out of action.
This has had an evident detrimental effect on the team, as the Red Devils have conceded eleven goals in ten matches; and kept just three clean sheets so far this season in all competitions.
These are worrying statistics for Ferguson to reflect over, so the need for a player like Hangeland is there to see.
The factors which could hold United back from making a move, concern the fact that the Norwegian is 31-years-old and goes against the club’s transfer policy of buying players for the future; as well as it potentially halting the progress of promising youngsters such as Michael Keane and Scott Wooton from breaking into the first-team.
In addition, once the defensive crisis eases United could have six available central defenders, including the prospective signing of Hangeland.
Surely Ferguson would see this as too many defenders on the books and leads to doubts as to whether he would make such an impulsive move in January.
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But injuries in defensive positions is nothing new at Old Trafford; and there are fears that Vidic is no longer the imposing figure he once was before damaging cruciate knee ligaments last December.
Vidic will have one year left on his contract at the end of this season, with reports linking him with moves to either Barcelona or Juventus; and Ferguson could see this as his best chance to buy a cheap replacement for the Serbian, if he shares these fears.
If a player like Vidic decides to leave the club, then the signing of Hangeland justifies its logic. However, if there are no departures, then it would be hard to envisage the arrival of the Norwegian, especially as key defenders gradually return to fitness and if players like Vidic return to the peak of their powers.
Former Liverpool FC striker and fan favourite Dirk Kuyt says he will never forget the fans and will remain a fan of the club.
The striker has settled quickly at Fenerbahce since joining the club in a £1 million deal.
The Dutchman was much adored during his six years in the Premier League due to his hard work and unselfish play. His tenure came to an end in the summer after seeing his playing time diminished under former boss Kenny Dalglish. When the Scotsman left the club, and Brendan Rodgers arrived, Kuyt left two days later.
“I had six wonderful years at Liverpool. But in the last season, where I wasn’t playing as much as I wanted to, I took the decision to leave after the season,” Kuyt told ESPN.
“It had nothing to do with the new manager. He even gave me a phone call after I made the decision to go to Fenerbahce. He wished me all the best in my new career.”
The transition was frustrating for Kuyt who has been an influential player during his time at the club.
“The season before I was the team’s top scorer and player with the most assists, I was ready to go one step further after a good second half of the first six months under Kenny.”
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Kuyt might be in Turkey now, with most of his time being put into his new club but claims that when he is not training he is looking out for how is former club are doing.
“Everyone knows I support Liverpool and I wish them all the best. I’m not the player of Liverpool anymore but I am a big supporter and so is my family. Every game we can watch, we are in front of the telly and hope the team is winning,” he added.
PFA chairman Clarke Carlisle wants players and the union to work together more in order to deal with issues such as racism more effeciently in the future.
Carlisle has been at the forefront of the recent anti-racism debate in football and has been seen to be doing whatever he can to get players to speak to the PFA about their concerns.
And, following the PFA’s announcement of a six point plan to tackle racism football yesterday, Carlisle now wants to have discussions with concerned players so that they know how they can improve as a union.
He told TalkSport shortly after the Ferdinand’s statement was released last night: “We are upset in hearing that any one of our members are disappointed in our actions.
“The good thing about that statement is that both of them have said that they will be committed to entering into discussions and work with all the organisations involved about how to progress and move forward.
“So hopefully we’ll be able to get these guys into the offices and have a chat with them about why they felt disappointed and what areas of support we could have done differently so that we can move forward in the way that we service our members.”
Carlisle also stressed that every union or organisation suffers difficult times and that the PFA is no different.
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“Every organisation goes through tough times and you can’t forsee what’s going to go on. Hindsight is a wonderful thing,” he added.
“It would have been better if we had disclosed the minutes of all the meetings we have had over the past 10 months, but that’s not the way that it works.”
Robin van Persie’s transfer to Manchester United was destined to come back to haunt Arsenal, but few supporters could ever have envisioned he would inflict heartbreak inside two minutes of their recent encounter. The Dutchman has been flying in the Premier League this season and quickly pounced on a mistake by Thomas Vermaelen to cement his status as the most hated man in North London.
The Gunners have endured a torrid time in the transfer market of late with van Persie becoming the latest in a series of demoralising departures that include Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. However, they are not the only team to have bestowed the tag of ‘Judas’ upon an outgoing player, so sit back and reminisce over the most controversial switches in recent history.
Click on the thoughtful present Barcelona fans gave to Luis Fig to reveal the ten figures that lost their legendary status
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Join me on @theunusedsub where I’m slightly delirious at the sight of my club topping the Championship table.
Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted that Wayne Rooney may not be fit enough to play Norwich tomorrow.
Fears have been raised this week over the fitness of strikers Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie. Both withdrew from their respective international games, Rooney over an injury to his ankle, and van Persie over a thigh strain.
Sir Alex Ferguson thinks Van Persie should make the trip, but that doubts still remain over Wayne Rooney, as well as Jonny Evans. He, however, confirms Phil Jones should come back for United’s Champions League match.
“We’ve still got some doubts about Wayne and Jonny Evans. I think Robin should be fit. We’ll see what they are like today but there is a doubt,” he told Manchester United’s official website.
“Phil Jones has been training all week. We will take him to Turkey [to play Galatasaray in the Champions League] with us. He’ll get part of it there, which is a good start for him.”
Anders Lindegaard could also be out of United’s clash with Norwich after picking up an injury in Denmark’s international friendly with Turkey last night.
The goalkeeper, who has had multiple problems with injury in the past, suffered a knock while warming up.
It is unlucky for Lindegaard, who last year had seemed to have overtaken David De Gea as United’s first choice goalkeeper before suffering ankle ligament damage. He has already had to be replaced twice in his career with Manchester United due to injury.
“The ankle has not been properly fit before now. I have had problems after I tore some ligaments and I have not been able to kick properly in 9-10 months. It is only starting to be good now,” he told Danish website DR.dk.
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He has also revealed Javier Hernandez, who hugely impressed in last weekend’s Aston Villa fixture, should be starting tomorrow.
“Bringing on Chicharito [at Villa] was good for us and he should start tomorrow,” he added.
Both sides have been on an impressive runs as they look to put these on the line in an exciting fixture at the Liberty Stadium.
Swansea have gone unbeaten for the last six Premier League games, and three victories in their last four outings has put them within touching distance of the top four. The Swans have managed victories against Newcastle and Arsenal, in this run winning both 2-0, with last weekend’s victory at the Emirates in particular, catching the eye of many.
It has also been over 2 months since Michael Laudrup’s men conceded over a goal in a Premier League outing, which is ominous for opposing teams as Swansea tighten up at the back.
For Norwich their slow start to the campaign is a distant memory with Chris Hughton’s side stringing together an eight-game run undefeated.
If the Canaries can secure a result and others go their way they could surge into the top 10 and this could also mean an unprecedented unbeaten run of nine matches – a new Premier League record for the club.
Norwich will have Sebastien Bassong fit and available after the defender suffered a knock late on against Sunderland. The injury list at Carrow Road does consist of John Ruddy however, who has undergone a thigh operation and faces up to three months out while defender Michael Turner (shoulder) and on-loan striker Harry Kane (metatarsal) will miss the clash.
Swansea are without goalkeeper Michel Vorm and Pablo Hernandez and with the team in good form there will be no rush to haul them back into the side.
Wayne Routledge could also return having recovered from a knock.
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Danny Graham is surely set to feature having scored 6 goals in his last four outings against Norwich.
Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew has claimed that the Manchester City of last season are superior to that of this season ahead of today’s lunch time clash at St James’ Park.
Manchester City beat Pardew’s side home and away last season, including the vital victory that saw them claim pole position going into the final day of the season against QPR.
But despite Mancini’s side still sitting second in the table, Pardew doesn’t feel that they have improved at all from last season and is hopeful of a big result this afternoon.
Newcastle are struggling for consistency in the league this season and are just two points clear of the relegation zone. Along with hosting the Premier League champions today, Pardew’s side face Manchester United, Arsenal and Everton in the next three weeks but the under pressure Newcastle boss is confident his squad has the work ethic to quickly improve.
“They [Manchester City] were definitely the best away team we played last season,” Pardew told talkSPORT.
“We got nothing off them last year but I don’t think they are as strong as they were last year coming into this game.”
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“We are having a tough run, we don’t disguise that, but the work ethic is there,” he added.
“One big result, which could happen this weekend, could change a lot of the picture and we could find ourselves in a good position in the league.”
The January transfer window proves to be a crucial one for Tottenham Hotspur, but while it might set something of a benchmark in terms of on field ambition, it’ll also go some way to suggesting how high their aspirations sit away from the field of play.
While Andre Villas-Boas’ side has developed something of a steely efficiency in recent weeks, there’s still plenty of room for improvement as the club seek to push on for a fourth placed league finish, as well as success in the Europa League.
And in their quest to pursue some of the gifted talents linked with bolstering the Lilywhites’ campaign, such as the Christian Eriksens and the Willians of this world, they bestow the perfect asset in chairman Daniel Levy. The Essex-born businessman has not been without his faults during his time at the club, with his infamous brinkmanship sometimes causing the club as much harm as good.
But in terms of squeezing the best value out of deals for Spurs, from both a buying and selling perspective, there are few in the trade who can better Levy’s skills at the negotiating table.
Although while Levy’s public profile within English football has been built mostly upon his hard bargaining and eye for a profit in the transfer market, it’s very easy to forget just how well he’s run Spurs’ financial ship.
Regardless of how you view some of Levy’s managerial appointments and departures since he was appointed chairman in 2001, the way in which he’s managed to continuously ensure funds have been available for player transfers, while ensuring the club lives very much within its means, has been an admirable feat.
Throw in a £40million new training ground, the acquisition of nearly £90million worth of land over the last decade (in preparation for stadium development) and the fact the club’s overall finances continue to look both healthy and astute, if nothing else, the chairman can hardly be accused of lacking positivity. Certainly, compared to where the club sat in 2002, it’s difficult to argue to the contrary.
And of course, as Tottenham have grown in stature within the Premier League over the last decade, there’s been a natural correlation with the growing expectations of supporters. Having already had a taste of dining alongside Europe’s elite in the Champions League, all associated with the club crave a second, more sustained bite of the cherry. Consequently, continued investment in personnel is key to mounting an viable assault upon such ambitions.
But within the last 12 months at least, for a club with such lofty top four ambitions, investment has been very cautious indeed. In face, since January 2011, the club has in fact made a net profit in the transfer market.
Considering the tumultuous box office nature that was their summer transfer window of 2012, just because Spurs have been living within their means hardly means that they haven’t spent money. Tottenham shelled out just under £60million on talent this past summer, including the likes of Jan Vertonghen and Hugo Lloris amongst others, which was in fact the fifth highest outlay on players during the summer in the whole of Europe.
Although poignantly, they did of course also sell a fair few players as well – not just any ordinary ones, either. Amongst those to pass through the White Hart Lane exit door were Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart and when all was said and done come the start of September, Tottenham had made a net spend of around only £500,000.
And if we cast our minds back to the start of the calendar year and the ill-fated January transfer window that Spurs endured, there’s still around £8million of Roman Pavlyuchenko shaped money that was never eventually spent. There is a school of thought suggesting that while the funds were there to be invested, Levy was perhaps reluctant to hand then manager Harry Redknapp a transfer warchest. Rightly or wrongly, if that warchest still remains, then Andre Villas-Boas could certainly do with seeing it next month.
This isn’t to accuse Levy for five minutes of hiding any money down the White Hart Lane sofas. The club are turning over near enough £100million less than both their league and local rivals Arsenal. While Spurs profited from their Champions League adventure a couple of years ago, so did their players, with the wage bill hopping up £24million from 2010 to 2011. While many from that squad have since moved on, the club is still paying many Champions League wages, without actually playing in the competition.
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Throw in the nice new contract Gareth Bale earned in the summer, £6.5million in agents fees since October 2011, an untold amount on signing on fees as well as legal/planning costs surrounding the failed Olympic Stadium bid and the NDP and it’s hardly as if there is some mythical amount of buried treasure kicking around N17.
Yet come deadline day on the summer transfer window, many supporters were glued to their phones and televisions waiting to hear news upon the protracted transfer of Joao Moutinho from Porto. The move eventually collapsed, but had it gone ahead, it would have been to the tune of £22million; a transfer record for the club that would have blown their recent frugal economic policy in terms of player recruitment out the water.
If Levy was prepared to sanction such a deal last August, then he must ensure that money is available for Andre Villas-Boas to spend as he wishes in the January transfer window.
No one is either expecting nor wanting the club to live outside of its means, but there can be no more smoke and mirrors like posturing in terms of player recruitment. Tottenham must strengthen their campaign on all fronts next month, not weaken it as they did at this time last season. If the warchest really was hidden from Redknapp last January, Daniel Levy must give it to Villas-Boas this January. If he doesn’t, then we perhaps gain a far better idea to quite how bare the coffers are in the white half of North London.
Joe Hart says Manchester City wont be affected by the fact that they haven’t won away at Sundays opponents Arsenal for 37 years in the league.
The two sides meet at The Emirates in the Premier League in Sundays late kick off and much has been made of the Citizens poor away record against the Gunners, talk which their number one stopper has dismissed.
“These records are made to be broken. We feel strongly that we can turn up anywhere and win,” the Evening Standard quoted Hart as telling talkSPORT.
“It has not happened at the Emirates. But it is not a case of us turning up and thinking we are going to lose.
“It is a great pitch, great atmosphere and it feels like you can go and express yourself. Hopefully that will be the case on Sunday.”
City could go into the game 10 points behind Manchester United if their rivals defeat Liverpool in the days earlier game, however Hart is still confident in his sides ability to achieve although is aware that they haven’t managed to hit the heights of their title winning campaign.
“We know what we are capable of but there have been occasions when a couple of us have not played great. Last year, two or three would play brilliantly and that would be enough for us to win the game.
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“It has been difficult. We are fighting through it and are still feeling positive.”
City go into Sundays fixture without Yaya Toure who has departed to the African Cup of Nations, while Sergio Aguero also looks set to miss out with a hamstring injury.