Friday 28 June 2013

7 Liverpool Transfer Targets


1. Simon Mignolet - Sunderland (GK)

This is a done deal. I think this deal will be great. However it could depend on whether Pepe Reina jets off to Barcelona, though he has said recently that he is happy at Liverpool, whether or not he will be first choice keeper! You can see more on the Mignolet transfer in my previous post.

2. Ashley Williams - Swansea (CB)
Liverpool have been linked with Williams ever since his great performance two season's ago in the middle of Swansea's defence. He had another solid season this year and would be a great asset to any team. It's thought that Arsenal are the front runners for the Welsh defender though and I'm not sure that Liverpool would stump up Swansea's £10 million asking price!

3. Henrikh Mkhitaryan - Shakhtar Donetsk (AM)
Tough name to say, huh? Henrikh, or Heno as he is often called, looks like he could move to Liverpool. He has expressed his desire to move to Liverpool but Shakhtar will have to receive a big offer especially after losing star player Fernandinho to Man City. It is rumoured they want to £20 million and that Liverpool are willing to pay, with the £15 million from the Andy Carroll sale being put towards it! He sure would be a good player and worth every penny, he would link up great with Coutinho. 

4. Iago Aspas - Celta Vigo (ST)
This deal has been wrapped up, with Aspas heading to Anfield for around £7 million. This could mean Suarez is on his way out though I doubt he'll be a good enough replacement for Suarez himself but he will be a good player.

5. Kyriakos Papadopolous - Schalke (CB)
This is a very good player, Papadopolous has been tracked by Man City and Chelsea in the past but it know looks like it will Arsenal fighting against Liverpool for this solid centre back as well. With Skrtel possibly on the way, Papadopolous would be the perfect replacement for Liverpool and would be great in the Prem as he is so strong. He also has plenty of European experience so would help Liverpool get back amongst the big boys.

6. Christian Eriksen - Ajax (CM/AM)
Eriksen is a great young player who has been linked to most European club including Man United and Chelsea. He looked set to sign for Liverpool but they wouldn't meet the £20 million asking price set by Ajax. This could mean that Henrikh Mkhitaryan is the first-choice transfer for Liverpool. I doubt this transfer will happen but anything's possible!

7. Luis Alberto - Sevilla (ST) 
This is another done deal, Liverpool really are focusing on strikers this year it seems! This could yet be another signal of the imminent departue of Luis Suarez. However its more likely that Alberto is an investment for the future with the 20-year-old not even getting into the Sevilla team, with him being loaned out to Barcelona B last season. He may be a great player in the future though!




Image source: http://thekop.liverpoolfc.com/_liverpool-badge/photo/17375833/173471.html

Tevez completes Juventus move



Juventus have completed a £12 million deal to sign Man City striker Carlos Tevez on a three-year contract. The 29-year-old player has moved to the Turin based club in a deal that was reasonably out of the blue but it is thought he wanted away for some time, ever since his little 6 month golfing holiday in Argentina when he should have been earning his huge wage on the football pitch.

He has still played a big part in Manchester City's last couple of seasons, helping them get their first ever Premier League title - when he got back that is! - and scored 11 goals last season to fire City to 2nd in the Prem. 

After the Bayern Munich Champions League match where Tevez had refused to warm-up to come on as a substitute, he was fined £400,000 for breach of his contract and Roberto Mancini publicly said he would never play for the Manchester club again. Tevez was then fined a further £1.2 million for his absence, he appealed but the appeal was dismissed by the board. Mancini then stated that Tevez may play again for Man City and then when he came back from Argentina, he started palying again!

Ever since this incident, the Man City board and fans alike were keen to see Tevez go but that never materialised until Manuel Pellegrini was brought in. Now Juventus, who were linked with Gonzalo Higuan, have attained a new number 10 in Tevez. This deal has benefited Man City a lot though because they are now available to sign a new and better striker and will have cut down their wage bill massively with his £198,000 wages being cut loose and they will save a whopping £17 million on not having to pay his wages no longer.

What do you think?

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Image source: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02207/carlos-tevez_2207001b.jpg

Thursday 27 June 2013

Real Madrid snatch Isco

The long awaited transfer of Isco has finaly come to an end with the midfielder picking Real Madrid as his new team. He has signed a five-year deal with the Spanish giants.

Ashley may sell... if the price is right

Mike Ashley - owner of Newcastle United - has announced that although he is not putting the club up for sale, he will listen to offers. So if someone was to bid for the club at a good enough price, Ashley could accept the offer. Mike Ashley has tried to sell Newcastle a few times, without success and after the last failure he made it clear he was committed to the club and was willing to dip into his massive fortune. To be fair to him, he has put in a lot of money to Newcastle, first clearing off the debts and then developing the club which included buying new players at higher prices and to not sell star players like in the past.


Some may argue he is abandoning a 
sinking ship, with Newcastle very close to relegation last season but it's clear Newcastle are trying to rebuild their squad and that will only be fully achieved by having a fully committed owner so maybe Ashley should either stay and not sell or leave? What do you think? He has just added to controversy at Newcastle though with the Joe Kinnear situation! Maybe a new change at Newcastle would help the club move forward to a better and more successful future?

The Sports Direct owner has tried to incorporate his company into the club, with even going as far as renaming the stadium the Sports Direct Arena. The club has since changed the name back to St James' Park, which may have been new sponsor Wonga's move or Ashley preparing to leave which may be linked to the recent controversy, bringing in Joe Kinnear. Mike Ashley is most certainly not a favourite among fans so I doubt there will be many complaints if he leaves.

What do you think of Mike Ashley's actions? Comment below.

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Image source: http://www.soccerfanbase.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/ashley-mike-scarf.jpg

Wednesday 26 June 2013

Blanc replaces Ancelotti at PSG



Former France national team manager Laurent Blanc has signed a two-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain.

Carlo Ancelotti takes over at Real Madrid



Real Madrid have confirmed Carlo Ancelotti will take over at Real Madrid, who have been managerless since Jose Mourinho headed back to London for a second spell at Chelsea.

Liverpool Capture Mignolet



Liverpool have signed Sunderland shot-stopper Simon Mignolet on a long-term contract for a reported fee of around £9 million. The Belgian keeper becomes Brendan Rogers fourth signing after Kolo Toure, Luis Alberto and Iago Aspas.

Chelsea wrap up Schurrle deal



Andre Schurrle has put pen to paper on a 5 year contract to complete his £18 million move to Chelsea. The young German was able to sign his contract after passing legal requirements and formalities such as personal terms.

Sunday 23 June 2013

What is going on at Newcastle?

With the recent controversy overload over at Newcastle United in the past week or so, I feel I should have a go at explaining what on Earth is going on!

As you may know from previous posts, I am a big Newcastle fan but even I am quite confused about recent events so forgive me if I'm wrong! Right, here goes...

At the start of this week, Joe Kinnear - manager of Newcastle in - was officially appointed as Newcastle United's sporting director. This lead to belief that Derek Llambias - the sporting director at the time - would take the financial side of the the club with Kinnear in control of the football side.

Kinnear came into the club claiming he would have the final say on transfers and would have an office at Newcastle's training ground to monitor player performance. This caused much outrage among Newcastle fans!


The papers claimed Pardew had become unsettled with the appointment of Kinnear and they have had talks to discuss the club. Pardew has returned with a statement saying he will not be quiting the club. Even more controversy was provided by Derek Llambias when he decided to resign as Mike Ashley's second hand man!

In the past few days, club legend Alan Shearer has said he is disgusted with the state of the recent events at the club and is there any wonder? Joe Kinnear has decided to add even more controversy by having a go back at Shearer! There's rumours that Mike Ashley will bring in Gus Poyet if Alan Pardew becomes overwhelmed by the situation and decides to leave.

What do you guys think of the whole situation? Comment below and feel free to subscribe!

image source: thetimes.co.uk

Thursday 20 June 2013

Match Memories

Hi guys, you may have read my Dad's guest post - Match Memories. If you haven't then you definitely should, it's a great read!

I think he did a really good job but it's what you think that matters. I really value your opinions so please leave your feedback in the comments section below. Whether you like it or not and whether you'd like more!

Match Memories - Guest Post

This is my first post but be warned there may be more to come!

Tom, my son, asked me to write something football orientated. To be honest I would have preferred to write about a subject about which I have a bit more knowledge. Like cricket, golf or motor sport. However, here goes.

I thought I would write about some matches that stand out in my, fading, memory. Watching not playing. So for this piece I've chosen a couple of matches I attended as a boy.

I was just ten years old when my late Uncle Chris took me to Hillsborough, the home of Sheffield Wednesday, to see one of the quarter finals of the 1966 World Cup. The date was 23 July 1966 and the match was between West Germany and Uruguay. West Germany, including players like Beckenbauer and Seeler, won 4-0. I have a recollection of some strong tackling by the Uruguay team which must be why they only had nine players by the end. They were only 1-0 down when the second player was sent off. I also recall the West Germany players making the most of every opportunity to writhe around, apparently in agony. 

As you will know West Germany advanced to the final where our team, captained by the late Bobby Moore, completed a famous victory. You will also know that is the last time England won a major tournament or even reached the final. Unfortunately, I can't see us winning another one in my lifetime. For various reasons we're just not good enough.

The second match was also at Hillsborough and, again I have my Uncle Chris to thank for being there. The date this time was Saturday 31 August 1968. It was a League Division One, as it was known as then, match between Sheffield Wednesday and Manchester United. Manchester United, the team that only three months earlier had won the European Cup by beating Benfica 4-1. Best, and he was the best, Charlton and Law to name but three of that team.

If I remember correctly Sheffield Wednesday then played in blue shirts with white sleeves and, of course, Manchester United were in red. I remember a big crowd, about 50,000, and a fantastic atmosphere. The match itself was incredible with Sheffield Wednesday winning 5-4. Four of Sheffield Wednesday's goals were scored by a forward called Jack Whitham, a player who was later transferred to Liverpool for £57,000. Manchester United's goals were scored by the three aforementioned  players. Definitely, one of the best matches I've seen.

So that's it for this time. 

Not too long to wait for the new season!

Wednesday 19 June 2013

Andy Carroll Signs for West Ham

Andy Carroll has now confirmed his future - finally! He has signed an £80,000 a week deal with West Ham from Liverpool for a club record fee £15 million after passing a medical.

First Day Fixtures: League 2 2013-14

The League 2 fixtures for next season were released today, along with the Premier League and Championship  and League 1 fixtures!

Here are the opening day fixtures for League 2 - to be played at 15:00 on 3rd August 2013:

First day Fixtures: League 1 2013-14

The League 1 fixtures for next season were released today, along with the Premier League and Championship fixtures!

Capital One Cup finalists Bradford have an away game at Bristol City. Double relegation Wolves visit Preston.

Here are the opening day fixtures for League 1 - to be played at 15:00 on 3rd August 2013:

First Day Fixtures: Championship 2013-14

On the same day of the new premier league fixtures, the fixtures for the Championship 2013-14 season have been released.

The most notable first day fixtures include recently relegated QPR's home game against Sheffield Wednesday and Reading's trip to Ipswich Town.

League 1 winners, Doncaster play Blackpool at home. Newly promoted Bournemouth play Charlton Athletic also at home. Heroic Play-Off winners Yeovil Town travel to Millwall for a tough test.

Opening day fixtures are here - to be played at 15:00 on 3rd August 2013:

First Day Fixtures : Premier League 2013-14

The fixtures for the 2013-14 Premier League season have been released today. It's exciting to think that the new season is only around the corner!

Manuel Pellegrini should receive a good reception in his first game of his Man City career. He will be greeted by fans at the Etihad Stadium when they face Newcastle who will be hoping to improve dramatically on last seasons relegation scrap! As a devout Newcastle fan, I think we will improve next season. Though, and this is hard for me to say, I think Man City will come out on top. How do you think it will go? Comment below.

However, the loudest stadium will undoubtedly be Stamford Bridge where Jose Mourinho will begin his second spell as Chelsea manager. They face newly promoted Hull so Mourinho will be expecting a win! Maybe Hull can provide a suprise and ruin Mourinho's day, what do you think? Comment below.   

David Moyes's first game is a tough away day at Swansea! It will be a test and he will be judged on whether he will be a good fit for the new era at Man Utd. Swansea will want to build on their great season last year when they finished 9th. Moyes should see off the Swans though, what's your opinion? Comment below.

Moyes's old club, Everton, will play Norwich over at Carrow Road in their first game under Roberto Martinez. Will they still have stars like Fellaini and Baines?

Meanwhile, Championship champions Cardiff will have a trip out to Upton Park to play West Ham in their first ever Premier League game and Play-Off winners Crystal Palace face a tough test hosting Tottenham at Selhurst Park!

Any games interest you or have opinions about? Comment below.

Here are the opening day's fixtures - to be played at 15:00 on 17th August 2013:

Sunday 16 June 2013

New Poll

You may have noticed that there's a new poll at the bottom of the page, 'Who do you think will win the Prem next season?'. Cast your vote now!

Mignolet to Liverpool?

There are claims that Liverpool are close to completing a deal for Sunderland shot stopper Simon Mignolet!

Update: Premier League Predictions 2013-14

Just to let you know, I will be writing posts on each premier league team on how well they will do next season.

If you want me to do any teams outside of the premier league or have any ideas then comment below!

Where will Lewandowski go?

For months now Borussia Dortmund powerhouse Robert Lewandowski has been linked to nearly every big club lately!