Nigeria and Arsenal wonderkid Chuba Akpom gave Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger food for thought after smashing a hat-trick in Monday night’s 6-1 drubbing of Peterborough in the Fourth Round of the FA Youth Cup. . Following the news Theo Walcott will miss the rest of the season with a cruciate ligament injury, 18-year- old Akpom gave Gunners fans reason to cheer at London Road as he looks capable of taking over from the injured England international. . The Nigerian born striker who has made a handful of appearances for the Arsenal first team most notably. in the 2013 pre-season tour…
Author: David F.
Arsenal have made Porto striker Jackson Martinez their top January transfer target, according to reports in Portugal. . Martinez has been linked with a move to both Arsenal and Chelsea over the past few months, but it looks as though the Gunners are stepping up their pursuit with boss Arsene Wenger in desperate need of a new centre-forward. . Olivier Giroud has been mostly holding the fort up front this season, following injuries to Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott, with Nicklas Bendtner playing a bit-part role. . But after Walcott was ruled out for the rest of the season earlier…
Arsenal forward Theo Walcott will not be punished by England’s Football Association for taunting Tottenham fans during his team’s 2-0 win in the FA Cup on Saturday. . As he was being taken off on a stretcher with a knee injury, Walcott signaled the 2-0 score with his fingers to the Tottenham supporters, who pelted the England international and the medics carrying him with coins and bottles. . The FA says in a statement released on Monday that it has contacted Walcott “and reminded him of his responsibilities regarding a ‘scoreline’ gesture he made,” but will not be taking any…
Leaders Barcelona have yet to decide if Lionel Messi will play from the start in Saturday’s top of the table La Liga clash at Atletico Madrid. . The brilliant Argentine forward made an instant impact when he came on for the last 30 minutes of the midweek King’s Cup tie against Getafe after being out for almost two months with a hamstring injury. . Messi grabbed two goals in the 4-0 win but coach Gerardo Martino is not sure if second-placed Atletico will represent too tough a 90-minute test. . “He looks fine and had a phenomenal 30 minutes in…
Liverpool’s Luis Suarez added the Premier League Player of the Month award to his list of credits on Friday with manager Brendan Rodgers saying working with the Uruguayan goal machine would “stay with me for a lifetime”. . Suarez struck 10 goals in December, including four in a 5-1 win over Norwich City, as Liverpool topped the Christmas table for the first time since 2008. . His form over the next couple of months will determine whether Rodgers’ side remain credible title contenders. . Rodgers is never shy of praising the often controversial striker who has scored 20 Premier League…
It’s fair to say that Manchester United haven’t had such a stellar start to their new era under David Moyes. . This is emphasised by the fact that Moyes’ former club Everton are further up the table than his current employers. . United certainly need more fire power with the recurring injury problems that Robin Van Persie has been faced with and the lack of creativity in their midfield means they aren’t scoring enough and therefore haven’t been winning enough. . The first player that they should sign is the former champions league winning Dutchman known as Wesley Sneijder. .…
Reports are emerging that Chelsea playmaker Juan Mata has been offered to Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona. . Mata, 25, has not had the same effect at Chelsea this season as he had in his first two seasons and according to le10sport.com he could be on his way out of the club. . Since Jose Mourinho has returned to manage the club, Mata has been pushed to the side as the former Madrid, Inter and Porto manager has favoured the likes of Oscar, Andre Schurrle and Willian to the Spaniard. . His future has been the talk of the…
Manchester United continue to be linked with a host of players in the January transfer window, with reports suggesting that the club could swoop for two Brazilian stars this month. . According to reports from Brazil cited by the Daily Star, the Premier League champions could move for Cruzeiro duo Dede and Everton Ribeiro – two players supposedly valued at around the £13 million mark. . Manchester United, who will attempt to successfully avenge their 2-1 FA Cup to defeat to Swansea when Michael Laudrup’s side return to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Saturday evening, have had a…
Spain national team coach Vicente del Bosque believes that the presence of stars such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo benefits La Liga. . The 63-year-old manager also added that he is indifferent about who wins the Ballon d’Or – as he does not care whether the Barcelona man, the Real Madrid star or Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery wins the 2013 award. . Messi, 26, has won the award since 2009, but he faces stiff competition from the Portugal international and the Bayern winger this time around. . And Del Bosque says he is indifferent about who picks up the…
Rio Ferdinand has confessed that Manchester United tried to re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo during the previous transfer window, and he was a part of the campaign to bring the Portuguese superstar back to Old Trafford, reports ESPN. . Rio Ferdinand admitted to his part in trying to lure Ronaldo back to Old Trafford, and speculation mounted that the Portuguese star could return to United as he pondered his future at Real Madrid last summer. . However, the Portugal international ultimately decided to stay in the Spanish capital – after agreeing to a deal that makes him the highest paid footballer in…
Xabi Alonso insists that he doesn’t see himself playing for any other club and sees Real Madrid as his “home”, reports RTE. . Alonso who has been linked with a move to Manchester United and Chelsea in recent weeks recently signed a contract extension that will keep him in Madrid until 2016. . The former Liverpool playmaker has been playing at the Bernabeu after completing a £30million move from Merseyside to Madrid back in 2009. . Speaking on his future in Spain, Alonso said: “In Madrid, my wife and I have found ourselves very well. . We had the total…
Chelsea are clear favourites to land Inter Milan ace Fredy Guarin before the end of the January transfer window. . The Blues, who have been linked with a move for the versatile midfielder in recent weeks, have been priced by SkyBet at odds as short as 8/15 to secure the player’s services. . It had been reported earlier this week that Italian outfit Inter Milan were ready to part ways with the Colombian star, only if the Blues were ready to pay as much as £15 million. . And now it looks like Chelsea are in the driving seat to…
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has confirmed that the rumours suggesting he has made contact with Real Madrid over the availability of Alvaro Morata are false, according to the Guardian. . Speculation has been rife in recent days concerning reports that suggest Arsenal were close to securing a deal for the highly-rated Spanish starlet , but Wenger has moved to virtually rule out the possibility. . The acquisition of a new frontman is thought to be Arsenal’s priority this month and a number of names have risen to prominence in connection with the Gunners. . These include Real Madrid duo Karim…
Manchester United could make Dinamo Bucharest winger Dorin Rotariu their first signing of the January transfer window after the teenager confirmed he has held talks with the Premier League champions. . The 18-year-old has made some of Europe’s most prominent clubs take notice this season having scored five goals in 17 league appearances, while he has also been added to Romania’s under-21 squad. . Manchester United are among those keen to recruit Rotariu and the club’s scouting network has already made an initial move to bring the highly-rated youngster to Old Trafford. . Rotariu claims representatives from Manchester United have…
Manchester United and Liverpool will have the chance to sign Ivan Rakitic for €25million in the summer, with the Sevilla midfielder set to sign a new contract with a revised buyout clause, according to Spanish publication Marca. . The Croatian playmaker’s current deal – which has a €40million buyout clause – runs until 2015, but the Spanish club are ready to offer him revised terms, which could prompt an exit from the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium at the end of the season. . Earlier this month, the Daily Express credited Red Devils boss David Moyes with an interest in bringing…
Liverpool attacker Iago Aspas could be set for a temporary break from his miserable spell on Merseyside. . According to reports from Italy cited by talkSPORT, Valencia are set to make a loan move for the Spaniard and have already made contact with his current employers regarding his possible availability. . 26-year-old Aspas joined Liverpool from La Liga outfit Celta Vigo for a fee of £7 million during the summer transfer window, yet his career at Anfield to date has been largely disappointing. . Although he has missed a sizeable portion of time with a torn thigh muscle picked up…
Borussia Dortmund are preparing to offer highly sought-after midfielder Ilkay Gundogan a new deal, in order to ward off the belligerent interest coming from the likes of Manchester United, according to the Mirror. . The reigning Premier League champions have been heavily linked with the 23-year-old playmaker in recent months and, with Dortmund chiefs keen to tie him down to the club in order to benefit their long- term plan, they could offer him a lucrative package to convince him to extend his stay. . Despite having been injured for the majority of the current campaign, Gundogan was a key…
Thibaut Courtois is set to hold showdown talks with Chelsea over his future, according to the Metro. . The Belgian shot-stopper, who is currently in his third season on loan to Atletico Madrid, has been the subject of various rumours regarding his future over the last few months. . However, following increased interest from some of Europe’s top clubs, Mourinho is moving to tie the player to Chelsea. . Despite Petr Cech’s fine form over the past nine and a half seasons, it is Courtois whom Chelsea must look to as a flagship for the youthful re-branding of an ageing…
According to the Daily Star, Eden Hazard has been urged to ditch Chelsea in favour of French champions Paris Saint-Germain by his former boss, Lille president Michel Seydoux. . Hazard spent five years at Lille before transferring to Stamford Bridge in 2012, but recent speculation has seen him linked with a mega-money move- thought to be in the region of around €60million to be exact- to PSG. . And whilst most Chelsea fans will be spending the entirety of the January transfer window praying that they can hold on to their star performer, Lille chief Seydoux is of the opinion…
Borussia Dortmund are preparing to offer highly sought-after midfielder Ilkay Gundogan a new deal, in order to ward off the belligerent interest coming from the likes of Manchester United, according to the Mirror. . The reigning Premier League champions have been heavily linked with the 23-year-old playmaker in recent months and, with Dortmund chiefs keen to tie him down to the club in order to benefit their long- term plan, they could offer him a lucrative package to convince him to extend his stay. . Despite having been injured for the majority of the current campaign, Gundogan was a key…