GLOBAL SOCCER GOSSIP
Nigerian Midfielder Mikel Obi has been given an opportunity of staying in London with BILIC set to sign him during january transfer Windor. Bilic and the Hammers has promised to play Mikel in his preferred attacking midield position. Mikel will be looking to re-unite with his Nigerian and Chelsea team mate Victor Moses who is on a season long loan with West Ham United.
Barcelona has enquired about young Nigerian goal Machine Victor Osimhen who emerged as the highest goal scorer in the just concluded FIFA under 17 world cup .
Kelechi Nwakali the MVP of the just concluded FIFA under 17 world cup is reportedly sought after by three English league Giants. Manchester City is looking to unite him with his elder brother Chidiebere Nwakali who ply his trade with the Citizens youth team. Arsenal and Chelsea have also enquired about the mercurial and hardworking midfielder.
Arsene Wenger nearly signed a lot of people. At this stage in the Arsenal manager’s career, it’s almost certainly a running joke to claim that he had scouted a certain player when they were just an embryo, but another club selfishly barged in with more money.
One of the 427 million people Arsene Wenger nearly signed was Zlatan Ibrahimovic. According to the Sunday People, Wenger will get another chance to sign the Swede next summer. The striker’s contract at Paris Saint-Germain expires in 2016 and, at 34, he is looking for one final footballing swansong at club level. Neil Moxley reckons Ibrahimovic and Arsenal have had ‘contact’, that Ibrahimovic favours a move to Arsenal, and that Wenger is interested in the deal. He’d make a decent defensive midfielder.
Forget the following comments from Ibrahimovic himself earlier this week: “I think it is too late to come to England. I am very happy in PSG, I have my last six months and let us see what happens afterwards.”
We think we’ll go with Zlatan over Moxley here.
UNITED SCOUT SHAW REPLACEMENT
With understanbable uncertainty surrounding Luke Shaw’s return date since breaking his leg in September, attention has slowly turned to a potential replacement. Marcos Rojo has looked a little better recently but is still rather dodgy, while Ashley Young and Daley Blind are not left-backs; Ricardo Rodriguez very much is.
The Sunday Mirror claim that Rodriguez, he of Wolfsburg and Switzerland fame, has been scouted by United recently with a view to a January move. Rodriguez is very much, but would that in itself not point to this being a bit of a weird deal? Shaw will eventually return, and although he will need time to get back to his best – if he ever does – would the existence of a currently superior left-back help his progress? It seems a doubtful move.
MOURINHO WANTS AUBAMEYANG
Over to the former ‘Boss of Goss’ now, with The Sun’s Alan Nixon reporting that Chelsea want Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
‘Stamford Bridge spies are raving about the Gabon hitman,’ writes Nixon, as he struggles with the concept of those people called ‘scouts’. Jose Mourinho is considering a £20million bid apparently. The German side signed Aubameyang for around £10million in the summer of 2013, with the 26-year-old scoring 64 goals in 115 appearances – including 23 in 21 this season – since. Such form is worth more than simply doubling his valuation, surely?
Nixon also likens Aubameyang to Didier Drogba, presumably because they are a) both African, b) both strikers, and c) Drogba played for Chelsea and Aubameyang has been linked to the them. They really aren’t that similar aside from that.
QATAR NEXT FOR BRENDAN?
Fulham, QPR, Swansea, Newcastle, Chelsea; the exhaustible list of potential next management jobs for Brendan Rodgers really is a bizarre one. Add a Qatari club to the mix and it gets no better.
In a Daily Express exclusive from their man John Richardson, Qatari club executives are hoping to lure the former Liverpool boss to their shores with a number of lucrative offers. Richardson offers no clues as to the identity of any of the sides (although Al Sadd, Xavi’s club, are mentioned in the URL but nowhere else thereafter), but claims that Rodgers has met with one who have offered him a deal which ‘could see him bank £10million’. No weekly wage or number of years on a potential contract are revealed, but £10million is a nice, big, round number so there we go.
There is also no mention of the fact that Rodgers, whose reputation has taken quite a beating after his Liverpool downfall, but who is clearly still a talented manager, would be committing career suicide by taking a post in the Far East. No chance.
AND THE REST
Manchester United and Arsenal could both make bids to sign Juventus defender Daniele Rugani…United also want Ashley Cole and Saido Berahino…Tottenham will move for Corinthians forward Alexandre Pato if they lose out to Chelsea in the race to sign West Brom striker Berahino…Newcastle have joined Arsenal and Tottenham in tracking Marseille striker Michy Batshuayi, but the French club want £35million…Louis van Gaal will not seek to bring Adnan Januzaj back to Manchester United from Borussia Dortmund when the January transfer window opens despite his injury crisis and lack of attacking options…Ron Vlaar has received three offers from Premier League clubs, including Sunderland and Norwich, but Everton are not the third club…Bournemouth are ready to offer Yoan Gouffran the chance to stay in the top-flight in the New Year.
The first reports of Barcelona interest in John Stones came as early as April, but the Daily Telegraph have reignited that chatter. An ‘exclusive’ from Matt Law claims that Barcelona sent scouts to watch Stones during England’s friendly with Spain in Alicante last Friday. They were presumably disappointed when he didn’t actually play the game.
The other evidence Law has for the interest is that Gerard Pique picked Stones in his current World XI in an interview with the Telegraph last week. But don’t bet your house on it just yet. We’re going to try and ignore the inbuilt cynicism that says this was just an excuse to re-plug that interview.
Still, we’d be very surprised if Stones ended up at Barca, as we just can’t see them paying the £40m required to sign him. An English premium isn’t particularly useful when you’re not an English club, and Everton will hold out for the highest fee possible.
MOYES TO LEEDS?
Steve Evans hasn’t been in the Leeds job five minutes, but you’d struggle to find a supporter who wouldn’t drive him out of the city should David Moyes become available. That’s exactly the rumour doing the rounds today.
It starts in the Daily Mirror, and their claim that Moyes would be interested in the job should Steve Parkin complete his takeover at Elland Road. The Mirror say that Moyes would prefer a Premier League club as his next job, but would be prepared to take on a project like Leeds if there was money to spend to fund a promotion campaign.
As ever with Leeds, it’s such a bloody circus that there’s not really much point getting excited about anything until it actually happens.
ARSENAL CLOSE TO SANCHEZ EXTENSION
The talk of Alexis Sanchez’s new contract has been going on for a while, but the Daily Mail reports that it could soon be announced. Mesut Ozil also has a deal on the table.
The Mail reports that talks between Sanchez and Arsenal are at an advanced stage, with a five-year deal worth £155,000 per week on offer. The Chilean is currently paid £130,000 per week, and this deal would take him above Ozil as the club’s highest earner. That’s probably only before Ozil signs his new contract.
These are eye-watering sums of money, but Arsenal fans will probably enjoy the following current formula: Sanchez + Ozil + £30,000 = Wayne Rooney. But he’s ‘proving the doubters wrong’ when he scores one goal, apparently.
UNITED AND CHELSEA EYE UP FEGHOULI
To The Sun now, and their claim that both Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho are interested in signing Valencia winger Sofiane Feghouli.
The main driver for this news is that the Algeria international is refusing to sign a new contract in Spain, meaning he will be able to talk to clubs over a free transfer move when January arrives. That makes it something of the no-brainer.
A few months ago Chelsea were being strongly linked with a move for Antoine Griezmann; now it’s Saido Berahino. If ever you needed an indication of just how far the club has fallen during this dreadful run of form, there it is.
The news regarding Chelsea’s interest in the striker comes from the Daily Telegraph’s John Percy. If you were going to pick one person to trust on transfer rumours, it’s him.
Percy moots a £20m bid in January for the striker, whose form has been patchy at best; three goals in 669 Premier League minutes.
Chelsea have also been linked with Bologna midfielder Amadou Diawara, by Gianluca Di Marzio, and Galatasaray midfielder Wesley Sneijder. It’s silly season.
ONE OF BALE OR RONALDO OUT THE DOOR
Another day, another story about players leaving Real Madrid. Yes, it’s those same two again.
ESPN report that Real are increasingly keen to sell one of their two biggest assets, with the pair not gelling together as much as the club would like. If they can get £80m for either of them you suspect they’d sell, leaving them free to further invest in the squad.
Unsurprisingly, Manchester United are mentioned in passing regarding both players. We’re set for an awfully long nine months until the end of the next summer transfer window.
UNITED WANT ‘NEW AGUERO’
Gonzalez has been dubbed the ‘new Aguero’, although he looks more like Xherdan Shaqiri. If he’s anywhere near as good clubs should be falling over themselves to sign him. Roma, AC Milan and Juventus have also reportedly shown interest.
To be honest, this is a story we’ve heard before. In June the Daily Mail reported that United and Real Madrid were scouting Gonzalez, then just 15. There’s clearly some serious interest.
ARSENAL WANT IZZO
H to the izz-O, V to the izz-A
Fo’ shizzle my nizzle used to dribble down in VA
Was herbin’ em in the home of the Terrapins
Got it dirt cheap for them
Plus if they was short wit’ cheese I would work wit’ them
Boy and we…got rid of that dirt for them
Wasn’t born hustlers I was burpin’ em
Oh yeah, Arsenal are apparently interested in Genoa defender Armando Izzo. Might happen, might not.
AND THE REST
Newcastle midfielder Cheick Tiote is wanted by MLS outfit New England Revolution…Juventus are tracking Chelsea midfielder Oscar and Southampton forward Graziano Pelle…Hull City centre-back Curtis Davies is a £3million target for Bournemouth…Crystal Palace are ready to reward veteran defender Damien Delaney with a new deal…Southampton have made a £50,000 bid to sign 16-year-old Cheltenham winger Luke Thomas.
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