Sunderland and Everton have entered the race to sign Genk’s striker Jelle Vossen, as the search for Belgium’s next sensation continues.
Martin O’Neil is on the lookout to add to his attacking options, and the hitman seems the perfect candidate to form a partnership with in-form Steven Fletcher, who is the only player to score for the Black Cats this term.
Everton are also monitoring the striker who has scored 45 goals since the beginning of the 2010/11 season, and could tempt him to join up with fellow countrymen Marouane Fellaini and Kevin Mirallas at Goodison Park.
There has been an influx of Belgium players taking the Premier League by storm and Vossen has the qualities to add to the growing list, at 23-years- old the striker already has two international goals to his name in just nine appearances.
The striker was an integral cog in Genk’s league success last season scoring 17 goals and contributing a further 7 assists in just 27 games.
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Vossen has started this season in prolific form once again, scoring 7 goals in the first 11 games of the season as his side look to retain the league title.
Liverpool are confident that Raheem Sterling will extend his current contract with the club, according to reports from ESPN.
The 17-year-old has been in fine form this Premier League season, slotting seamlessly into the Reds’ first-team despite his young age.
It was suggested last week that the winger was frustrated by his current wage and had demanded to be put a par with out-of-favour senior stars such as Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing to stay at Anfield.
The player quickly took to Twitter to rubbish stories that he was demanding a significant pay rise and insisted that his future would be discussed after his 18th birthday.
This speculation has not worried his manager Brendan Rodgers who believes that the starlet will stay with the club:
“I think it will be pretty straightforward. Raheem himself, his representatives and his family, they know he’s at the best club he can ever be at for his development in both the short and long term.
“So that will be resolved. There won’t be an issue there.”
The Northern Irishman also declared how happy he has been with the youngster, who made his senior England debut against Sweden earlier this week:
“I have been surprised, to be honest,
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“You just never know with young players. I think the biggest thing you can do with kids is give them a chance, so long as they’re showing on a daily basis that they’re worthy of that opportunity.”
Shinji Kagawa has distanced himself from speculation about a future move as he instead concentrates on being a success at Manchester United.
The Japan international looks set to establish himself as a Old Trafford favourite after building up a burgeoning reputation while playing in Germany with Borussia Dormund.
Despite already playing for one of biggest teams in world football in Manchester United, there has already been speculation that he end up at Barcelona one day. However Kagawa has been quick to dismiss these reports.
“I have never thought about Barcelona or Madrid,” Kagawa is quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
“Paris are a great team that will continue to grow this season. It is also a very nice city, but I am focused 100 per cent on life in Manchester.
“You never know what the future will hold.”
In the meantime Kagawa is still getting used to playing for such an illustrious club that has dominated the Premier League era in England.
The 23-year-old playmaker, who scored a memorable winner for Japan in their 1-0 friendly victory over France on Friday, added: “I am now a Manchester United player and the fans and my teammates expect more from me.
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“Since arriving in Manchester I have had to watch my behaviour on and off the pitch. In Japan and Dortmund I didn’t have so much pressure.
“Three years ago I couldn’t have imagined evolving so quickly and being at a great club like Manchester United. It is proof that you never know what can happen.”
As Paul Pogba struck twice from outside the box in Juventus’ 4-0 victory over Udinese, it would be difficult to fully believe any Manchester United fan that told you he wasn’t bothered by the fact that the 19-year-old, one of Europe’s most talented starlets, had not been kept on the books at Old Trafford.
Pogba joined Juventus for free last summer, after the Frenchman, of Guinean descent, was reported to be highly dissatisfied with United’s refusal to meet his wage demands.
A pay rise would have gone against the club’s position on wages, set out by its owners, the Glazer family, which is determined to keep the salary bill no higher than 50 per cent of turnover.
Financial arguments aside, United lost the services of a player, who they themselves knew possessed all the hallmarks of a future star.
Pogba is described by the club as a “powerful, skilful, and creative” player, who “has stamina, vision to pick out key passes, an eye for goal and a penchant for the spectacular.”
Given the wealth of talent in Juventus’ midfield, many, myself included, expected that Pogba would have to wait at least a season before being able to make his mark for the Italian giants. After all, the reigning champions of Serie A boast the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal in the middle of the park.
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But against Udinese, Pogba was called to the starting line-up in the absence of Pirlo, Marchisio and Simone Pepe. He partnered Vidal, the Chilean powerhouse, to make up a very dynamic central midfield, which took their in-form adversary by storm.
So far, Pogba has lived up to his billing as a powerful box-to-box midfielder in Turin. Juventus’ manager Antonio Conte has a reputation for demanding only the highest work ethic from his team. This means that all of his midfielders are expected to show a determination to get back and protect the back four, while making forward forays and penetrative passes to link up with the frontmen.
In this regard, Pogba can be considered a perfect match for Juventus, and his venomous long-range strikes against Udinese added to his tally of four goals in 13 appearances for the current league leaders.
The Frenchman’s recent displays have been very impressive, but they won’t come as much of a surprise to Manchester United. After all, they recognised his potential long ago when they sealed his controversial transfer from former Ligue 1 side, Le Havre, in the summer of 2009, although the Reds were later cleared by FIFA of any wrongdoing in their capture of the player.
Pogba might have played a greater role for United last season, especially in light of the long-term injuries to Phil Jones and Tom Cleverley, Anderson and Darren Fletcher, but instead he made only seven appearances in all competitions, all as a substitute.
Sir Alex Ferguson presumably considered the teenager too young for a regular run in a side that was competing in a battle with its fierce city rivals for the Premier League title, a battle in which the Scot preferred experienced heads such as Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes to that of the youngster.
United lost that particular duel with Manchester City, albeit very narrowly on goal difference, and, although they currently lead the way in the league this term, their midfield has hardly set the world alight.
On recent form, Pogba would surely have been a major asset for United, especially in light of the limitations (not to mention injury records) of the current crop of midfielders at Old Trafford.
Fletcher’s long-standing chronic bowel disease persists, while Anderson, possibly the most similar player to Pogba at United as a strong box-to-box midfielder, continues to be afflicted by injury. Jones looks a promising player, when fit, but he appears to have far less appetite for getting forward than defending.
That leaves Cleverley, but he seems less comfortable when having to get back and defend, and simply lacks the physical strength of Pogba in order to perform such a devastating box-to-box role.
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Some have compared Pogba’s departure from Old Trafford to that of Spanish defender Gerard Pique, who was sold to Barcelona in 2008 for £5million and has since established himself as one of the greatest centre-backs in world football for club and country.
In hindsight, one can safely say that Pique’s sale was a mistake, as he would undoubtedly have strengthened a United defence that has never shown the same solidity since Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic’s long-term absences through injury.
At least that deal was struck at a time when the former England captain and uncompromising Serbian international were at the pinnacle of their respective careers.
The same cannot be said of United’s current midfield, where Pogba was surely destined for a starting berth sooner rather than later, especially if he has already managed to make his mark in what must surely be considered a more competitive group of midfield generals at Juventus.
Day 8 of the FootballFanCast.com Football Advent Calendar sees arguably one of the best prizes yet, especially if you haven’t done all your Christmas shopping yet, as we’re giving away a copy of Football Manager 2013!
Football Manager is the best-selling, most realistic football management series ever made. Football Manager 2013 celebrates 20 years of games from the people at Sports Interactive by introducing an array of new features.
This year’s version allows you to take control of any club in more than 50 nations across the world and includes all of Europe’s biggest leagues as well as database of over 500,000 real-world players and staff.
As well as some landmark new features in the Career Mode, there are now new ways to enjoy your Football Manager experience.
Fancy winning a copy of Football Manager 2013?
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To be in with a chance of winning click below to LIKE FootballFanCast.com on Facebook
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The winner will be announced tomorrow, when we will also be unveiling our football prize for Day 9. Don’t forget to come back to FootballFanCast.com then!
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has hit back at recent criticism of club captain Steven Gerrard.
The midfielder has taken the brunt of the blame for the Reds’ recent poor Premier League performances, with some suggesting that the 32-year-old is past his best.
Rodgers has leapt to the defence of his skipper, who has scored two goals so far this term:
“He’s carried this club for nearly 13 years, and it’s about time there was more than Steven picking up the baton of responsibility for Liverpool, ” he is quoted by SkySports.
“I don’t want to focus too much on him, other than that he’s been brilliant since I arrived here. His inspiration and leadership within the team has been phenomenal.
“He might not have got the goals he would have wanted this season, but you can see how effective he’s been and the quality of his game.
“Against Spurs, his range of passing, his commitment and his drive into the box was superb.”
He also confirmed that Lucas Leiva may return to the squad for this weekend’s clash with Southampton:
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“Lucas Leiva will return to the squad, which is great news because he’s been working very, very hard and played the reserve game last week.
“He’s been training for a few weeks and looked very good, so we’ll look forward to bringing him back in.”
Wales midfielder Joe Allen has confessed not being happy with his performance since he arrived at Anfield and hopes to start reverting the situation with a victory with Wales against Austria this Wednesday.
The Welsh international player admits he has not performed at the desired level so far this season: “Everyone knows my form hasn’t been great”, Allen said to the Daily Mail. However, Liverpool £15 million transfer looked confident to reach his level soon: “It’s up to me now to work hard and get myself back in the team and improve my level of performance”, concluded.
The former Swansea player has had the support of reds manager Brendan Rodgers, who has counted on him in every game this season:“It’s been disappointing not to have been involved in every game and play every game” Allen assured to the tabloid. The 22 year-old has played a total of 31 games in all competitions this season, scoring just one goal against Oldham Athletic in the recent FA Cup defeat.
Allen, who deals with the pressure of being the most expensive Liverpool signing this season, has been recently criticised by Match Of The Day pundits Mark Lawrenson and Alan Shearer. The young player accepts the comments and sets himself as his biggest critic: “They’re top pundits. When Alan Shearer speaks, people listen. I want to improve all aspects of my game. I’m a perfectionist and maybe that’s my problem -sometimes I get frustrated and disappointed when things aren’t perfect”, he stated.
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Manchester United veteran Ryan Giggs believes that the club’s rivalry with Liverpool is greater than that with their local enemies Manchester City.
The Red Devils face the Premier League champions this weekend in a top of the table clash, with some suggesting that the winner will have a clear advantage in the battle for the title.
Despite the sense of importance associated with the derby fixture, Giggs played down its prominence, claiming that their rivalry with Liverpool is greater:
“It doesn’t mean anything extra because it is City.” He is quoted by ESPN.
“There are different rivalries. Liverpool has always been the biggest rival for me. It has always been the biggest test.
“Arsenal were a brilliant team and we had some ferocious battles with them. Chelsea were also a brilliant team under Mourinho, and now City are a good team as well.”
United struggled against their Manchester rivals last term, losing 6-1 at Old Trafford and failing to claim points at the Etihad Stadium.
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Giggs believes the two matches were influential in the title race and hopes that his side can get an early advantage over City this time around:
“The two games against them were the difference last season. Hopefully we can get the right result and that will be the difference come the end of this season.”
We’re only two months into the new season and already there is plenty of speculation leading up to the January transfer window. Every club has had a taste of whats to come this season and will be fully aware of players that are surplus to requirements, and may try to engineer a transfer to offload these individuals – or a player may feel they need to consider a move to get more time on the pitch.
I have compiled a list of 15 players I feel could prove a real bargain in the January transfer window, whether that be because they are nearing the end of their current contract or simply wish to move on to get more first-team action. Some of the individuals on this list are truly talented players, and it would be a great shame if they decided to remain on the sidelines rather than make a transfer and get themselves back on the pitch.
Click on Ashley Cole to get the ball rolling
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Have I missed any potential bargain buys? Let me know on Twitter @dudeyoungy
The Premier League has seen some world class players since its inception in 1992, indeed the likes of Thierry Henry, Eric Cantona and Dennis Bergkamp have lit up the division during this time, cementing their personal statuses as legends of the game. We’ve also seen some dreadful players during that time, players simply not fit to lace the boots of the iconic figures of England’s top division.
However, there are other players who have somehow gained a reputation as decent footballers that nobody can quite understand. You know the ones, those individuals who get picked every week by the manager but simply don’t deserve their place in the team anymore, either because of their dreadful current form or perhaps the fact that they’re way past their best. Yet, they continue to baffle all those watching by taking their place amongst the elite every week, only to turn in performances that are simply rubbish. We take a look at the Premier League XI who are living off their reputations rather than their form.
Click on Daniel Sturridge to unveil the XI
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