Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has stated that he is unsure whether his club are interested in signing Tottenham winger Gareth Bale, and fears that the Premier League club’s asking price would stall any potential deal.
The Wales winger has been a revelation over the last 12 months, and excellent performances domestically and in the Champions League led the wideman to win the PFA Player of the Year award last season.
Reports in the press have linked the Catalan giants with a move for Bale, who allegedly feel that the Spurs man would provide an excellent attacking option at left back.
Despite this, the European champions’ executive has refused to state an interest in the former Southampton starlet.
“I do not know if Bale interests us,” Rosell told Al Jazeera.
“If he did, I would not say, because his price would go up. [Tottenham] would not ask for €40million [£33.2m], but €50m [£42.8m].
“In any case, even if we wanted him, we would never pay €40m for him,” he concluded.
Bale is currently in contract at White Hart Lane until June 2015, after putting pen to paper on a new deal back in March.
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Resurgent Everton go in search of a third successive Premier League win against Stoke City at Goodison Park that will take to within touching distance of the top six.
The Toffee’s have been in superb form of late winning three from their last five and soaring up the table into ninth to put their poor start to the season behind them. David Moyes’ side enjoyed victories over Bolton and Wolves in recent weeks with both results proving to be huge confidence boosters going into the unrelenting festive period. Everton were languishing near the relegation zone at this point last season after an inconsistent start to the season that only picked up in the new year. There was the thought that similar events would transpire during the current campaign but the last few week’s have put paid to that theory with the Merseysiders now chasing a place in the top six. Admittedly their start was slow and with little investment in the playing squad along with the sale of Mikel Arteta giving the critics ammunition to write them off before the season had a chance to get going. The performances of key players like Leighton Baines, captain Phil Jagielka and Leon Osman alongside youngsters Jack Rodwell, Seamus Coleman and Marouane Fellaini have given hope to the Toffee’s supporters that they can have a successful season even after losing Arteta to Arsenal in the summer. Whilst scoring goals has been a problem, talisman Tim Cahill has yet to score in 2011, they’ve evolved their game and ground out results which will come in handy against a physical Stoke side.
A win against Blackburn was the The Potters first since mid-October with their 2-0 victory over Fulham followed by a run of five straight defeats that threatened to derail their season. Tony Pulis’ men have struggled to marry the Europa League and their domestic form together with fatigue visibly apparent in the squad. However after a break from jet setting around Europe Stoke look invigorated and were a class above against Rovers last Saturday with that 3-1 win lifting them away from the drop zone and into 12th. Renowned for their industrious approach and strong arm tactics Pulis’ side have been out battled in recent weeks with home defeats agains Newcastle and QPR highlighting their weaknesses. However they were back to their bruising best last week with summer signing Peter Crouch leading the charge with a commanding performance up front. The England man hasn’t been the regular supplier of goals many thought he would be but he exhibited great balance and technique for his fifth strike of the season and finally put in the sort of display expected of a target man who cost a club record £10 million. More importantly for Pulis his defence, which has been taken apart in recent weeks, stood firm and will have seen their confidence levels rise after a commanding performance . Taking on Everton will pose a challenge on a whole different level to that of Blackburn and the Potters will need to be at their best if they are to record their first win at Goodison Park since 1981.
Everton – 9th
Last Five: Won 2-0 v Bolton (A), Won 2-1 v Wolves (H), Lost 2-1 v Newcastle (A), Lost 1-0 v Manchester United (H), Won 3-1 v Fulham (A)
Potential Starting X11: 24. T. Howard 2. T. Hibbert 5. J. Heitinga 6. P. Jagielka [C] 3. L. Baines* 23. S. Coleman 26. J. Rodwell 17. T. Cahill 7. D Bilyaletdinov 11. R. Drenthe 8. L. Saha
Injury News: Jack Rodwell is out after missing last week’s win over Bolton whilst Sylvain Distin will also miss the visit of Stoke on Sunday.
Key Player: Leighton Baines
Despite never getting the plaudits he deserves the England defender has been Everton’s standout player over the last month and was instrumental in their win over Bolton last week. His exploits down the left wing and pinpoint crossing saw him have a helping hand in both of the Toffee’s goals and he’ll be expected to offer a similar supply against Stoke.
Match Fact: Everton enjoy playing against Stoke winning four and drawing three of their last 10 meetings. The Toffee’s were unbeaten in five against the Potters before January’s 2-0 defeat at the Britannia Stadium.
Stoke – 12th
Last Five: Won 3-1 v Blackburn, Lost 3-2 v QPR (H) Lost 5-0 v Bolton (A), Lost 3-1 v Newcastle (H), Lost 3-1 v Arsenal (A)
Potential Starting X11: 29. T. Sorensen 28. A. Wilkinson 17. R. Shawcross [C] 4. Robert Huth 12. M. Wilson 16. J. Pennant 6. G. Whelan 24. R. Delap 18. D. Whitehead 19. J. Walters 25. P. Crouch*
Injury News: Tony Pulis will be without Matthew Etherington who has a back injury whilst Mamady Sidibie is out long-term with a knee tendon problem.
Key Player: Peter Crouch
A run of one goal in his last five brought about questions over whether the former Tottenham striker had lost his ability to find the back of the net on a regular basis in the Premier League. He answered his doubters in style last week with a commanding performance up front weighing in with Stoke’s third goal in a comprehensive win over Blackburn. His aerial battle with England colleague Jagielka will be one to watch.
Match Fact: Stoke have beaten Everton just the once since winning promotion to the Premier League in 2008. They’d gone five games without beating the Toffee’s before a 2-0 success in January of this year.
Last Time at Goodison Park
Premier League 30 October 2010
Everton 1-0 Stoke City
Yakubu, 67
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Attendance: 35,513
Referee: Lee Probert
PREDICTION
Everton are resurgent at the moment and will be confident of securing a third straight Premier League win against Stoke on Sunday. Moyes’s side have been in superb form of late losing narrowly at Newcastle and Manchester United before they beat Wolves at Goodison Park a fortnight ago. Stoke on the other hand ended a dreadful run of four straight defeats with a win over beleaguered Blackburn. The Potters have won once on the road this season and will have to be on top form to take something away from the blue half of Merseyside.
Harry Redknapp has stated that Luka Modric will not be going anywhere in the January transfer window, and that his potential deal to move to Chelsea is dead.
The Stamford Bridge outfit made a number of bids for the Croatia international in the summer, with the playmaker speaking of his preference to leave White Hart Lane.
Despite this, due to Spurs’ good run of form, Redknapp believes that Modric no longer wants to move to Chelsea.
“I don’t expect Luka to want to go anywhere. I think the Chelsea deal is dead,” he told reporters at a press conference.
“He’s happy here. I don’t know where he’s at with his contract talks with the chairman, but I’m sure they’ll get something done.
“I don’t see there being a problem with Luka. No matter what Chelsea offer, he isn’t going. Not a chance.
“This is a good club. This is a club building a new stadium, a new training ground. It’s a club that’s going places.
“They’re both good clubs. We’ve closed the gap, definitely, on Arsenal and Chelsea from where we were. We’re now up there trying to finish above Arsenal for the second time in the Premier League.
“The potential is great, we sell out every week. We’ve got good players. I would love to see us perhaps make one big signing. That would really send out a message too,” he concluded.
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Tottenham and Chelsea meet at White Hart Lane tonight.
Benoit Assou-Ekotto scored a rare goal as Tottenham swept past Everton at White Hart Lane to move just three points behind league leaders Manchester City and put themselves firmly in the title race.
Harry Redknapp’s side also drew level on points with second place Manchester United after goals in each half from Aaron Lennon and Benoit Assou-Ekotto saw them ease to victory over the Toffees. It was a third consecutive defeat for David Moyes’ men who haven’t picked up a point since Boxing Day and saw their European ambitions take a further hit. Despite providing a few early scares they were unable to fully trouble Spurs who took control once Lennon opened the scoring 10 minutes before time before Benoit-Assou Ekotto wrapped up the points just after the hour. The game was initially supposed to take place on the opening day of the season only to be postponed due to the London riots and the away side threatened to upset the established order by threatening early on.
A poor clearance from Younes Kaboul fell to Louis Saha but the Frenchman could only shoot off target before the home side started to dominate with Emmanuel Adebayor missing a number of chances. The on-loan Manchester City striker shot over from close range and could only toe poke wide after the ball fell to him following Assou-Ekotto’s cross. Luka Modric and Jake Livermore, in for the injured Scott Parker, ran the show in midfield with their passing a moving proving too much for Everton in the first half. Rafael Van Der Vaart also proved too hot to handle and went close to opening the scoring curling over before Lennon broke the deadlock on 35 minutes. Collecting a diagonal pass from Assou-Ekotto the winger beat Leighton Baines before shooting left footed past Tim Howard.
The hosts continued their dominance after the break and Gareth Bale came close to doubling their lead with a marauding run down the left only to see his shot saved by Howard. At the other end Saha found himself presented with another chance seeing his near post effort deflected wide from Baines’ cross before Marouane Fellaini headed over as the Toffees threatened to nick an equaliser. However just as they looked like getting back into the game Spurs struck a real hammer blow with Assou-Ekotto scoring the all important second goal to seal victory. With no options on either side of him the Cameroonian left back took aim from distance drilling the ball into the net from 30-yards to ensure the hosts moved to within three points of top spot. Adebayor and Bale then wasted chances to increase Tottenham’s lead before Royston Drenthe saw his appeals for a late penalty turned down by referee Martin Atkinson.
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Chelsea playmaker Juan Mata has thanked Andre Villas-Boas for all his help after the Portuguese coach was dismissed as the club’s manager on Sunday.
With The Blues sitting in fifth place and risking missing out on Champions League football for next season, Roman Abramovich gave the 34-year-old the axe.
Mata was one of Villas-Boas’ signings at Stamford Bridge, and the Spaniard was quick to wish his former boss the best of luck in the future.
“It hasn’t been an easy day for those who, like me, are part of Chelsea,” he stated on Facebook.
“I would like to thank the manager and wish him luck. We have to keep working hard and better days will come. Thanks for your support,” he commented.
Roberto Di Matteo is set to assume control of the team to the end of the season before a new permanent boss is appointed, and former Blues assistant manager Ray Wilkins feels this is the right move.
“Di Matteo has managed in the Premier League, he’s been around quite a while and I would say it’s probably better Robbie takes over until the end of the season than somebody coming in until the end of the year,” he told Sky Sports.
“Robbie’s the right guy to do it, along with (first-team coach) Steve Holland, that would be the perfect match. We’ll see where they go at the end of the season.”
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Rafael Benitez has emerged as the favourite to succeed Villas-Boas, but there have also been links with Pep Guardiola, Harry Redknapp and former boss Jose Mourinho.
The dictionary defines Underachieving as ‘do less well than expected’ and that isn’t a difficult thing to do in football. There are a ton of players who have fallen by the wayside and failed to make the strides expected of them during their career. They come in all shapes and sizes from expensive foreign talents to fresh faced youngsters preparing themselves for first team football only to suddenly become aware of the fact it’s 15-years into the future and they’ve failed to live up to their potential.
Since the birth of the Premier League in 1992 you could argue there has been more underachieving players than there has been successful ones. Obviously that is down to the fact only Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Blackburn Rovers have managed to lift the famous trophy but success isn’t always measured on the trophy scale. Even those clubs have had certain players who have failed to make the grade and underachieved to a frightening level. All too often you see players like this who are labelled as ‘dependable members of the squad’ or ‘great characters in the dressing room’ where in reality they are actually mediocre out on the pitch but too good to let go.
They are players who divide opinions in the stands with one half admiring his dedication and 100% effort out on the field whilst the other half see lack patience and see him as someone who will never improve or harness the talent that was once afforded to him. Unfortunately in the unforgiving realm of top flight football it is all too easy to be float effortlessly into obscurity and end up with a career showed in what might have beens.
Click on Fernando Morientes to see the top 10 great underachievers
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Putting together a list of 10 underachievers was a challenge in itself so if you think my choices are unsuitable and you have a better suggestion please drop by my twitter and we’ll enter into a discussion about it. Follow me @Kajynnep
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Bolton’s club doctor Jonathan Tobin has admitted that he has had conversations with Fabrice Muamba, and the midfielder has stated that he is fine.
The former England under-21 international collapsed on the White Hart Lane pitch last weekend in the Potters’ FA Cup game with Tottenham, and had to be rushed to hospital.
With his life in the balance, Tobin revealed that Muamba needed 15 shocks to get his heart started again, but that the player is making progress.
“I’m glad to say that the early signs of recovery have continued,” the medical man told reporters, recorded by Sky Sports.
“I went to see Fabrice last night. I went in and he said ‘Hi, doc.’ I asked him how he was and he said ‘Fine’.”
“I explained to him what had happened. That’s the sort of level of communication I have had with Fabrice,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, former Arsenal team-mate Thierry Henry jetted back to the United Kingdom to visit Muamba, and after spending an hour with the ill man also felt that his health was improving.
“Leaving back to America – Fabrice is getting a lot better which is fantastic. I will let you know more when I’m back in the US,” he stated on his Twitter page.
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With the end of the season fast approaching English football fans attention will be turning to the summer and to the European Championship taking place in Poland and Ukraine.
As usual there has been much debate as to who should be boarding the plane and which sorry players should be left at home to watch the football spectacle on television. One name that has been mentioned more and more as of late is ex-Shrewsbury Town striker Grant Holt.
Holty has been on terrific form this season and has proved all his doubters wrong, hitting the net a total of 14 times this season, the second highest total for any English striker with only Wayne Rooney having scored more.
With Rooney missing the first two games of the group stages for me Holty seems like a natural replacement for the United striker. With his strength and prescence up-front he certainly isn’t one to be underestimated and he brings something to the table that players like Welbeck and Sturridge can’t and that is his strength and experience. We need a target man and Holt seems the obvious choice.
A number of things may work against Holt when it comes to his selection however. At the age of 31 he has hit the peak of his career quite late on and this could hinder his chances. His discipline record is far from impressive either. He has recieved seven yellow cards for the canaries this season and been sent off once which is hardly the most encouraging sort of record for an out-and-out striker to have.
The fact that he plays for Norwich City, an unfashionable club who are outside the top six, may not work in his favour either.
Since Holt has left Shrewsbury he has proven time and time again that he is one of the best strikers England has to offer, hitting the net over 20 times in each of his last three seasons and he is also one of few English players left in the game with a career total which tops 200 goals.
So will Holt get his much desired call up? Wouldn’t it be fantastic to see two ex-Town players lining up for England on the opening game of the Euros? ( Former Shrews keeper Joe Hart obviously being the other) Only time will tell.
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Let me know on Twitter if you agree that Holty should be the plane?
It would be wrong for Arsenal to prematurely count their chickens ahead of their final day visit to West Brom tomorrow as they look to secure automatic Champions League qualification. The Gunners are in pole position to achieve just that as they currently sit in third position one point ahead of their great rivals and two ahead of the Magpies. But a trip to the Hawthorns isn’t a guaranteed three points and manager Arsene Wenger knows the Baggies will be determined to give the departing Roy Hodgson a winning send off before he takes over as England boss. But in the grand scheme of things just finishing in the top-four should be considered a remarkable achievement for the North Londoners after a torrid start to the campaign. One final push will seal their place on Europe’s top table before the real work begins for Wenger who is determined to rectify the mistakes of last summers transfer window debacle and finally replace the big name players Arsenal lost.
This week on FFC questions are asked as to whether other clubs will mimic the Gunners’ financial philosophy and could a French midfielder labelled the next Patrick Vieira be on his way to the Emirates Stadium?
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Best of FFC
Will new rulings see many look to Arsenal as the ideal blueprint?
The last chance saloon for big transfer spending?
Arguably just as important as big signings for Arsenal
When did second best ever become acceptable at Arsenal?
A transfer window one-off or a sign of things to come in the future?
Arsenal looking to pip United with £5m move
Arsenal ramp up their efforts to secure £17m deal
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Best of WEB
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Pat Rice: So Long And Thanks For All The Cups – A Cultured Left Foot
Will big-name signings ultimately keep this man at Arsenal? – Gunnersphere
And the second rule of Arsène club is… – Online Gooner
Why we shouldn’t sign this American forward – Gunnersphere
Bould in, and he’s the right man for the job – Arseblog
M’Vila Arsenal deal waters very muddy | Robin Van Persie given Peter Hill-wood kiss of death – Le Grove
Michel Vorm linked & Yossi Benayoun – Should Wenger sign him this summer? – Highbury House
Why Dempsey Should Choose Arsenal Over Liverpool – Transfer Tavern
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Quote of the Week
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“The beginning of the season was a catastrophe. We’d lost players who were key to our system. We recruited late, and it took a while for us to gel.
“We were ‘whopped’ at Old Trafford. Everybody thought we were dead and buried. But you don’t lose your football (ability) like that, like snapping your fingers.
“It can happen that a grain of sand falls in the machine, and the machine stalls; then you start to have doubts about your qualities, your club, your coach, everything.” Laurent Koscielny admits the Arsenal players started to doubt themselves and Arsene Wenger after a poor start to the season
A number of candidates for the vacant Tottenham role have emerged, with The Independent stating that former Schalke boss Ralf Rangnick is a possible contender.
The German trainer led the Gelsenkirchen side to the semi-final of the Champions League in 2010-11, beating the likes of Inter on the way before eventually being eliminated by Manchester United.
The ex-Schalke man has reportedly turned down approaches from West Brom and Norwich this summer, and will be given a chance to impress the Tottenham hierarchy, who will look to appoint a new coach before the end of the month.
Former Chelsea boss Andre Villas Boas is also in the running for the role, whilst France boss Laurent Blanc is also being touted as an ambitious target.
Harry Redknapp’s dismissal has seen his backroom staff of Joe Jordan, Kevin Bond and Clive Allen all depart the club also, but Tim Sherwood has avoided the axe, and is thought to be a contender for assistant manager as he is highly-regarded by chairman Daniel Levy.
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