Former Wigan manager Roberto Martinez has been named the new manager of Everton.
After weeks of speculation, the Spaniard has finally been installed as the boss at Goodison Park and will set about strengthening the Toffees in time for the upcoming season.
The 39-year-old is replacing former Everton boss David Moyes who took the Manchester United job after Sir Alex Ferguson retired last month.
His first job may well be raiding his former club, after Wigan chairman Dave Whelan admitted that he would not stand in the way of any Latics players who wished to follow Martinez to Goodison Park, if the offer was right.
Two players that are thought to have been targeted are midfielders Shaun Maloney and Callum McManaman who will certainly add to the Toffees midfield after an impressive Premier League season at the DW Stadium.
He may also have a fight on his hands to keep Everton players Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines after former their former boss Moyes has been rumoured to be preparing bids for both, in order to bring them to Old Trafford.
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Liverpool and Tottenham are both emerging as potential heirs to the Champions League throne. Both have undertaken something of a rebirth in recent seasons, and the future looks unusually bright for clubs at opposite ends of the country.
Money drives success in the Premier League, and it comes as no surprise that Rodgers appears envious of Spurs’ £100m+ transfer crusade. Success for both clubs will not be imminent, and this will represent much more of a long-term project that most would have you believe. A recent report in the Metro would suggest the Northern Irishman very much has his eye on dealings down in North London:
“We still need to make improvements. Tottenham have spent £100m to try and get in the top four. It will take another few windows to get that quality in the group.”
[cat_link cat=”liverpool” type=”list”]
“We can be better. We have shown in stages the quality we can have with the passion, resilience and desire. We just need to keep getting results. It is important to maintain that and we have to be vigilant. We need to keep the feel-good factor going.”
Rodgers here alludes to the excellent start that Liverpool have made, and many may question as to whether the squad really needs much work. The reality though as it stands is that Liverpool do not possess the strength in depth to maintain a push for titles, and even a Champions League qualification race will be a close run thing. Rodgers doesn’t mention the need for improvements as a means for just lowering expectations; I think he is actually spot on here.
Spurs have spent over £100m on what looks like a genuinely quality crop of recruits, and many still tip them as outsiders for the top four, surely Liverpool have a long way to go?
Both clubs have a similar financial outlook it would seem; not averse to spending but keen to balance the books in some way. Few have been keen to mention that Spurs turned a transfer profit this summer and actually cut their wage bill, if Liverpool want to make these so called improvements I believe the same thing will have to happen.
The bulk of Spurs’ summer spending power was due to the loss of their talismanic winger Gareth Bale for a world record fee. My opinion is that Liverpool may look to fund future transfer acquisitions through a potential sale of their star man Luis Suarez.
Suarez is a man of undoubted class and ability, but whose off field debacles and general demeanour have made him something of hassle for the ‘reds’. Still viewed highly on the continent, bids in the region of £50-60m have been bandied around and from a Liverpool perspective in January this may be a wise move.
Criticised as a one man team for much of last year, the Liverpool side that has started this season looks to have flourished without the Uruguayan. World-class players are few and far between but is Suarez really that crucial to Liverpool in the next few years, or would the signature of 3-4 quality players be more prudent for the club?
The acquisitions of Aspas, Coutinho and Moses would suggest that Rodgers is very much preparing for the loss of Suarez by bulking out his attacking options. As a manager he would surely prefer the potential to remould his squad in January, than having to re-integrate the troublesome Uruguayan.
50 odd million in the hands of Rodgers at a club with the prestige of Liverpool’s opens the door for all manner of potential captures. Many approached the Bale saga with a sense of despondency, but as time has passed it has seen Spurs develop the strongest squad that I can actually remember. As difficult as it may be for fans to accept, would the sale of Suarez be the stepping-stone back to greatness for Liverpool?
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The re-integration of Suarez after his ban will be an interesting one. He looks to have put his differences with the club behind him, but is this more of a show than any real substance. The Uruguayan may be world-class but as it stands it will be difficult for him to break into such an in form side.
Who knows Suarez may be the one to fire Liverpool back to the upper echelons of European Football, but for me his sale will be the turning point in Liverpool’s future.
Should Rodgers look to mirror Spurs and sell their star man?
For some clubs the international break was a nightmare, coming at the worst possible time due to good form, but for Millwall it came at the perfect time.
After successive drubbings away at Birmingham then Bournemouth, it gave the team and staff two weeks to reflect on recent events and maybe the fans needed this too.
After the break the Lions will start up the season again with games against QPR, Burnley and Reading. These three games will be make or break for Steve Lomas as to whether he keeps his job. If we play like we did in the first half at Bournemouth we might pick up some decent points – but play like we did in the second half, and we’ll have three rugby scores from those games.
There must be some good points as Lomas’s reign as manger, something must be going right somewhere, after all look at the performances against the likes of Leeds and Blackpool.
But to me, Lomas coming in to Millwall seems like a little kid getting his first play of “Football Manager”. He signs all the players he possibly can and then when the tactical side goes astray, tries to solve it by signing even more players.
Look at the signing of Paul Connolly – signed on a free transfer from Leeds until January. It’s been obvious that since Lomas came in he wanted a new right back but signing Connolly isn’t even a short term solution. We all know that Alan Dunne is a bit card happy, but what about Jack Smith? Comfortable player at this level but doesn’t get a look in.
Then there is the supposed signing of Stephen Hunt, rumoured to happen this week. Now this is an utterly pointless signing! If we needed to sign players, left wingers is nowhere near where we need to start. Plus he was rejected by Blackpool in the summer for massive wage demands and being unfit.
If Lomas is still here come January you can guess what’s going to happen. Lomas will want to sign even more players, but won’t have the wages to do it due to pointless signings like these. Why not save the money and make a real push to sign Martyn Waghorn in January?
We now move onto Saturdays game against QPR at the Den. A team high in form, but seem to only be winning games by small margins. These are the type of games where the crowd plays a massive part. Look at the last time QPR visited the Den, the crowd was electric that night.
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To be honest, most fans are expecting a beating and a handsome one at that, but wouldn’t it be just typical Millwall to get three points out of it?
Undoubtedly the story of the week has been Wayne Rooney’s new £300,000-per-week contract. The England international finally put an end to the sage that has been his Old Trafford future on Friday by penning a new deal to make him the highest paid player in the Premier League. Naturally, Rooney found the net in his first appearance since putting pen to paper, rasping home a sweet effort in the 2-0 win at Crystal Palace – which may be a vital three points when the season ends. It’s hard to justify such a salary for essentially kicking a ball around in a field, but such is the forward’s importance to United that he may just be worth the massive outlay. Here are three reasons to validate Rooney’s contract.
Goals, goals and more goals
Rooney took his tally to nine in the Premier League against Palace, making him the club’s top scorer in the competition. Although his record is not on a par with Luis Suarez, Sergio Aguero or even Yaya Toure, he has a habit of netting big goals at big moments, and with United’s tendency to throw away points late on, his strike at Selhurst Park was a huge one.
Captain material
With Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic set to leave at the end of the season, both the vice and full captain could be no more at Old Trafford, leaving a massive void in Moyes’ team. Rooney is undoubtedly a big character on and off of the field, and is widely being backed to take the armband and be ‘Mr Man United’.
Work rate
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Silky skills and top goals may be attractive, but any manager would tell you that work rate is just as important. Rooney is by no means a man that shirks his responsibilities, as he proved against Palace with an all-action display. Both before and after the goal, ‘Wazza’ was up and down the pitch supporting his midfield and fellow attackers.
Last night was a painful experience for fans of Tottenham; not only were they beaten but a rampant Manchester City side demolished them. Spurs may well have been on the wrong end of a number of key decisions, but the gulf in class was marked and fans have a genuine reason to be concerned.
It would be wrong to treat this result in isolation, it is just one amongst a number of calamities for Spurs this season, both on and off the pitch. It is sometimes easy to forget that the people that run this Premier League club are some of the brightest commercial minds, but clearly business acumen and an eye for running a successful football club do not go hand in hand.
The way the club has been run this year has been nothing short of bizarre, and the countless errors in judgement and footballing oversights are continually catching them up. More worryingly perhaps is that we have been here before with Spurs, the last 10 years are a testament to their inability to have any long-term direction or strategy.
Managerial wise there have been two definite themes; the classic English simplistic approach favoured by both Redknapp and Sherwood and the thorough more professional continental guise of a Ramos or AVB. Rather than focus on one and back it to the hilt, Levy seems intent on flitting between both schools on a whim; his long-term vision appears non-existent and his loyalty to manager’s somewhat questionable. The Ramos case is different, but Redknapp was sacked after a 4th placed finish and AVB with the best win percentage of any Spurs manager ever; surely something is wrong here?
Narrow minded short-termism is for the fans that pay their money and have an unwavering emotional attachment to their respective clubs; the blinkered approach should not extend to the boardroom as well. The appointment of Sherwood simply illustrated how poor the planning is at the club; with no clear replacement available post AVB they had to settle for 3rd or 4th choice on a pretty drab shortlist.
Then we have the Baldini debacle, which forms another part of Levy’s struggle with the continental management structure; anyone remember Arnesen and Comolli? With Baldini over the summer it was as if Levy gave him free reign over the Bale millions, opened up the Football Manager database and said go on being us in the best you can find, regardless of who they are or where they play.
The miscommunication between Baldini, AVB and Levy is stark. By mid August AVB had what looked like a new team, with a collection of talented recruits all expected to slot in with apparent ease. It isn’t the fact that these players aren’t good, in fact I actually think they all represent significant quality, but it is as if Spurs have been playing a Video Game. Sure a few may have been on AVB’s wish list, but 7 new players is clearly ridiculous. Did AVB ever want Chadli, was Capoue ever part of the long term ‘project? I somehow doubt it.
I don’t have anything against a continental management structure; it can often work very well. But when there is clear miscommunication and misdirection, you are setting yourself up to fail almost immediately. In fact a break down in relations between Baldini and AVB was largely what apparently triggered the eventual collapse of his tenure.
Levy seems unable to learn his lesson, maybe he is too stubborn by half but surely an intelligent mind like his can see the problems. For an international footballing institution, the show run by Spurs is amateurish at best.
Football is a results based business of course, but constant change and upheaval is never going to be the answer. Levy needs to work out what he wants and the best way of achieving it, and once he has done that he needs to back them with the kind of support and loyalty that he has been given whilst Chairman of Tottenham.
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At the moment Spurs are fast becoming a laughing stock, and I don’t think Joe Lewis and ENIC foresaw this as being the ultimate aim. A goal difference of -1 and a place still in the running for 4th underlines what a crazy season it has been, and in my opinion the club really haven’t helped themselves in the slightest.
In May of last year, Sir Alex Ferguson made the decision to finally retire from his position at Manchester United after an unprecedented managerial reign spanning four decades.
Having avenged the previous campaign’s heartbreaking conclusion by reclaiming the Premier League crown from ‘noisy neighbours’ Manchester City, Ferguson decided that enough was enough and the time was right for him to finally step down, eleven years after his u-turn on the matter.
The record 20th Premier League triumph for the club confirmed that he had achieved his well documented goal of knocking Liverpool ‘off their perch.’ Over his tenure the Scot oversaw a number of cycles of domestic and European success interspersed with the occasional fallow years.
From the Eric Cantona-inspired United of the 1990s right through to the last title success spearheaded by Robin Van Persie, Ferguson successfully masterminded the re-generation of multiple Manchester United sides. Each and every period of difficulty encountered under his reign resulted in years of sustained success.
With his successor David Moyes enduring a very difficult start to life at Old Trafford, it is apparent that this current Manchester United side has run its course and requires major re-developments if any success is to follow in the near future. It is hard to say for sure whether he foresaw the problems that have come to light in this campaign, but Ferguson definitely retired and got out of the game at the right time.
That isn’t to excuse Moyes from the many mistakes that he has made. A team doesn’t decline from Champions to 7th place without some level of blame being attached to the management. Moyes’ tactical insistence on using the width of the field has come under great criticism. The recent 2-2 draw at home to Fulham saw United fire in an astounding 81 crosses, with visiting defender Dan Burns saying he had not “headed that many balls since the Conference.”
With Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young failing to provide the quality required from these areas, the team’s attacking threat has diminished significantly as a result. The Scot is failing to get the best out of his creative players such Shinji Kagawa, Juan Mata and even Wayne Rooney. Although hindsight is a wonderful thing, it would appear at this stage that Moyes made an error in changing the club’s entire backroom staff upon arrival.
Familiar faces such as Rene Meulensteen and Mike Phelan may have been able to ease the transition for the new manager. Instead, Moyes chose to replace his predecessor’s most trusted lieutenants with his own in the likes of Steve Round and the recently retired Phil Neville.
The logic behind the former Everton manager’s decision is understandable, but it may have proven to be unwise, judging by the team’s performances this campaign. The pressure has also mounted upon Moyes due to the club’s actions in the previous two transfer windows. Mata and Marouane Fellaini arrived in big money moves but, so far, the Old Trafford faithful have yet to see the best of the pair of them.
High profile pursuits of Cesc Fabregas and Ander Herrera both ended in failure. For one reason or another, Moyes has failed to address the fundamental failings of a side that has quite obviously reached the end of its lifespan.
There is a lot of deadwood in the current squad that needs to be moved on. Players that have failed to make the grade consistently, such as Anderson and Young, need to be sold in order for the club to make the necessary acquisitions to re-develop the squad. Players like Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs and Nemanja Vidic have clearly had their best years for the club and efforts need to be made to replace such formerly influential figures.
Moyes would also welcome at least one new central midfielder. United have been crying out for reinforcements in this area for years now and only Carrick has performed consistently well enough in this role for the club. But even he is 32-years-old and plans need to be made for the future. Only a brief look at the current playing squad reveals the level of investment that Moyes requires if he is going to return the club to the summit of the Premier League.
Ferguson’s final United side has definitely come to the end of its cycle. Bearing all of this in mind, it is difficult to determine just how far Moyes is to blame for the club’s current malaise. The Scot has inherited a squad that is essentially past it and full of squad players that are just not good enough. For one reason or another, individuals that shone in the previous campaign have failed to recapture that level of form this year, and a certain proportion of the blame should be levelled at these players.
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In light of this season, perhaps Ferguson’s final title triumph should be regarded as one of his greatest achievements? In a side that was much derided as one of the weakest United teams of recent years, Ferguson masterminded a record 25 victories in their opening 30 Premier League fixtures to coast to the title.
Considering the massive surgery and re-building work that the club need to press on with over the coming years, Ferguson most definitely got out of the game at the right time. On a record high with a crop of players that he recognised he could take no further.
Virgil van Dijk may have only joined the Celtic ranks last summer, but following a season which saw him net five times in 36 Scottish Premiership appearances, claim the Scottish title and help the Bhoys’ defence go a record-breaking 1,215 minutes without conceding, potential suitors for the Dutch centre-back are hardly in short supply.
Indeed, 23 years of age, a 6 foot 4 beast boasting considerable technical ability, van Dijk looks set to become the latest Celtic player to swap Parkhead for the Premier League. Swansea have been linked by the Daily Mail and Southampton by TheMag, but Arsenal, Spurs and Newcastle are said to be interested too.
With that in mind and the Scottish champions seemingly facing a losing battle, here’s FIVE replacements for the highly-rated centre-back for Ronny Deila to consider.
[ffc-gallery]CLICK ON VAN DIJK TO REVEAL
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Harry Maguire
Having claimed the Player of the Year award for three seasons in a row at Bramall Lane and featured in the League One Team of the Year for 2012,2013 and 2014, Sheffield United’s Harry Maguire is considered to be one of the best English defenders outside of the Premiership.
He’s a good goalscorer too, with eleven for the Blades over the last two seasons. Here’s a look at some of Maguire’s strikes:
Resultantly however, the 21 year-old has recently revealed his intentions to leave South Yorkshire this summer:
A Premier League move has been mooted for the 6 foot 4 centre-back, once allegedly on the radars of Manchester United and Liverpool, with Hull City reportedly the most interested party:
But The Express claim Celtic are also interested, and valued at around £2million, the Englishman could prove to be a real coup. Likewise, the prospect of Champions League football will certainly excite Maguire.
However, Bhoys fans will be hoping he leaves this kind of thing in League One:
JOSH MEEKINGS
When Josh Meekings joined Inverness from Ipswich Town in summer 2011, he was very much a diamond in the rough. But over the last few seasons the Bury-born defender has come on leaps and bounds, and is now regarded as one of the SPL’s hottest centre-back prospects.
The Scotsman describes him as “Quick, athletic, good in the air and a demon in the tackle,” and also praised his orchestrating performance at the heart of defence in the League Cup final against Aberdeen.
He also scored this heroic goal, running the full length of the pitch, in a friendly against Charlton Athletic last season:
There are certainly more complete and matured defenders in the Scottish top flight, but Meekings’ potential for further growth is enormous. Furthermore, there’s only one year left on his current Inverness contract, making this summer the ideal opportunity for Celtic to buy.
Every centre-back has a token unfortunate own-goal that causes them embarrasment in the years to come. This is Josh Meekings’:
RHYS WILLIAMS
When Neil Lennon was on the prowl for an added centre-back in January, it’s alleged his priority target was Middlesbrough star Rhys Williams:
Capable of playing at centre-back, right-back or even in midfield, the Aussie international would be a more than acceptable replacement for Virgil van Dijk, sharing the Dutchman’s technical quality. He was in good form for Boro last season too, as detailed below…
Here’s the highlights from the 25 year-old’s 2011/12 campaign, where Williams won the Player of the Year award at the Riverside Stadium…
It’s believed Williams could be available for around £1.5million, but after suffering an Achilles injury at the end of last season, it remains to be seen if Ronny Deila will be prepared to maintain his predecessor’s interest in the defender.
MARTIN CRANIE
A more versatile option for Ronny Deila to consider is Barnsley’s Martin Cranie.
With the Tykes failing to beat the drop last season, the Yorkshire side have admitted their plans to cash-in on the 6 foot defender:
And despite his club plummeting into League One, the 27 year-old was in good form last season to claim four Man of the Match awards. His vitals for the campaign are detailed below…
The former Southampton and Portsmouth youngster has never quite realised his full potential, having once amassed 39 caps for England at junior level.
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But capable of playing at left-back, right-back or centre-half, Cranie has a lot to offer the Celtic defence. Just check out this stylish clearance from two seasons ago:
Cranie’s value remains unclear, but having moved to Oakwell from Coventry City on a free transfer in 2012, it’s unlikely his potential Parkhead arrival would exceed the £1million mark.
Eric Botteghin
Celtic acquired Virgil van Dijk from Dutch side FC Groningen last summer, so should the 23 year-old depart this summer, why not try the same trick again?
That may seem silly, but since moving to Euroborg in summer 2013 as van Dijk’s direct replacement, Brazilian-born centre-back Eric Botteghin has thoroughly excelled. Just take a look at his stats from last term:
And in case you need further evidence, some nut-bag has made a 14 minute videos of the 26 year-old’s highlights at former club FC Zwolle. Believe it or not, this is part one of three:
How highly Groningen rate the Brazilian remains unclear, but valued at a mere £1.3million by transfermarkt.com, he could prove to be yet another Eredivisie coup for the Bhoys.
Love them or hate them, the Gunners have to be respected and admired, largely down to their manager Arsene Wenger who has always maintained a good footballing philosophy in both style and blooding promising youngsters who later went on to be massive stars in the football world.
This summer, all the top five from last season have strengthened their squads, and even the Gunners have surprised most and splashed the cash, bringing in some great new additions to the squad, which many could argue has not been seen much in recent years at The Emirates.
So what do they have that can bring them the title this year having failed to do so for many years on the trot? First of all they have the momentum of winning some silverware last season with the FA Cup, which has given the club some much needed belief in themselves again, after suffering a severe mental block for so long. Even the most professional of players will find that when confidence is low you struggle to win and find yourself feeling the weight of pressure and expectation.
That monkey is no longer on their backs and they can come into this season knowing that they are capable of winning and are capable of carrying that mentality into every game they play this season, making sure they compete for every point and every place available in all competitions.
The money they have spent will also be a big factor in how well they can do this season; as I mentioned already, the north Londoners have not been known to spend money willingly in recent seasons, leaving them short in areas they needed cover for at times and lacking the strength in depth that is so famously needed to win anything at the top level.
QUIZ: Can you name Arsenal’s top 20 Premier League goal scorers of all time?
Arsene Wenger has decided to buck this trend, starting by splashing £33million on marquee signing Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean international who signed from Barcelona makes a statement of intent and willingness to succeed and also provides cover in other areas of the pitch, as he can not only play upfront but also cover on the wing, giving Arsenal a more dynamic attacking front from the start. Apart from Sanchez, they have covered most areas of the squad and finally have the depth to not only offer cover but bring some vital competition to each position, which is important when keeping top players performing at their best.
They also started the season before most with the Champions League qualifiers, and the extra game time has given the Gunners a head start over most teams in the Premiership. They also hit the ground running in the season curtain raiser against Manchester City, lifting the Community Shield; coming out the blocks quickly gives them further momentum to push forward and try and get a run together.
It remains to be seen whether or not the combination of a good transfer window, last season’s silverware and an earlier start to the season will be enough for the once mighty Arsenal to win the Premier League again this season, especially considering the strength of teams like Chelsea and Man City, but rest assured that they will certainly be among the front runners come the final game in May.
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And, like last season, they will be giving a lot of us plenty to talk about in the title race!
Manchester City look like the only team that will mount any sort of challenge to stop Chelsea strolling to the Premier League title this season. There are no other sides out there that can come close, with faltering starts from Arsenal (due largely to their expansive injury list) and Liverpool, the race for the crown looks to be a two horse one.
Diego Costa has been instrumental for Chelsea so far this season scoring 9 goals – a record which was a way off being matched, until Sergio Aguero put four past Tottenham Hotspur last weekend to boost his goal tally.
Every team needs a talisman just as much as they need every squad member to put in their own contribution on the goals tally front, and for Chelsea Costa has been their talisman without a doubt so far. With his goals coming in thick and fast, he has propelled his team to a five point lead at the top of the table which may prove to be the breathing space they need when this purple patch of form decides to die down and they start dropping points.
So what has to happen to put a stop to the Blues’ deadly run away trail of destruction? None of the chasing pack have really looked like they have a lot to offer in terms of matching what Chelsea have shown so far with their winning mentality, with the Londoners the ‘team to beat’. Manchester City had Yaya Toure pulling their strings last season, and they looked like an invincible force that no one could cope with, and a side that you could safely put money on to rack up an impressive goal tally each weekend and defeat pretty much anyone that they came across. yet so far this season they have not shown half of what they managed to do last season.
They need their own talisman, a new puppet master to step up and start pulling the strings, show some magic and inspire the rest of the team to pick up and show their own tricks to start bulldozing the opposition every week to match Chelsea.
Their game against Tottenham over the weekend finally provided them with exactly that player – Sergio Aguero. He looked unplayable for the whole game, and single handedly scored every goal for his team in the 4-1 demolition of Spurs. On his day, Aguero is one of the best centre forwards in the world, he has a pure, classy and unadulterated talent and ability, which when he is fit and up for it, he likes to exploit to its maximum impact. He is a force to be reckoned with, which is exactly the sort of player City need right now to try and close the gap that separates them from Chelsea.
If his last game is anything to go by then he has done well to set the bench mark required for the rest of the season performance wise – not only for himself but for his other team mates. It was a rallying call to the troops, to step up to the plate and get their heads down. The first part of the season was below par, but now after such an inspirational performance up front, it is time to look ahead and start going on a run.
That is at least what City will hope will happen and it usually is the case when someone of Aguero’s ability hits goal scoring form like he did over the weekend, they tend to push on from there, and if he can continue in the same goal scoring form – especially whilst Costa is sidelined for Chelsea with his hamstring injury – then it will be City’s best chance to play catch up and start staking a real claim to the title race and put that much more pressure on the west Londoners, who up until now seemed like they were going to run away with it.
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According to The Telegraph, Manchester United flop Anderson could have his contract cancelled, despite it having just six months remaining, at the cost of £1.5m.Sir Alex Ferguson once forked out a mega-sum for the then-Brazil international, but eight years and three managers later, it appears Louis van Gaal wants to end Anderson’s Old Trafford spell as soon as possible.The Red Devils have hardly got good value from the chubby midfielder since his arrival in 2007, so in honour of the news that he’s about to be released, whilst simultaneously proving that even the greatest manager in Premier League history was no stranger to a transfer clanger, here’s the FIVE worst signings of the ‘Ferguson era’.
[ffc-gallery]CLICK ON FERGIE TO REVEAL THE FIVE
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ANDERSON
The inspirational muse of this article, Manchester United forked out a whopping £26million for Anderson in 2007 – back when £26million was a serious fee and not just a generic tariff for an England international – and they’re now prepared to pay another £1.5million to cancel the Brazilian’s contract, according to the tabloids:
He won Europe’s prestigious Golden Boy award a year later, having contributed 24 appearances to the Red Devils’ 2008 Premier League title.
But that would go on to constitute the midfielder’s only noteworthy accolade, in addition to his final notable appearances for the Brazil national team, and he was never called upon so frequently again in the next seven campaigns at Old Trafford.
David Moyes shipped him off to Fiorentina in January 2014, who quickly decided they had no interest in Anderson’s services permanently, and the 26 year-old soon boomeranged his way back to Carrington.
There have been some enjoyable moments throughout the former Porto youngster’s eight-year United career:
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Persistently plagued by his pot-bellied fitness, Anderson’s amassed just 105 Premier League outings for United, scoring five goals.
That equates to nearly £250k per league appearance, without even bringing wages into the equation. So much for the Roy-Keane-Paul-Scholes-hybrid-come-Cesc-Fabregas’-arch-nemesis Anderson was mooted as almost a decade ago.
Bebe
A United transfer still shrouded in complete mystery, Sir Alex Ferguson could have signed Bebe on a free transfer in summer 2010, but bizarrely allowed the Portuguese youngster to join Vitoria de Guimaraes for five weeks before activating his €9million release clause.
But even if the Red Devils had grabbed the 24 year-old without a transfer fee, he’d still go down in the history books as one of the Old Trafford side’s worst-ever acquisitions.
Bebe spent four years at United, only ever registering seven outings across all competitions, before being sold to Benfica last summer, where he’s yet to make a league appearance. His most memorable showing for the Premier League side? This exhibition of non-league standard crossing against Wolves in 2010:
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Throughout that torrid spell with the Red Devils, the forward never came close to resembling the calibre of a United player, or for that matter, a Premier League player, and quickly lost his place in Portugal’s U-21 squad.
He did however, bag twelve goals during a loan spell with Pacos de Ferreira to keep them in the Portuguese top flight last season which, after far less successful loan stints at Besiktas and Rio Ave, is the only reason United recouped €3million of their original investment from Benfica.
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MASSIMO TAIBI
Football – Liverpool v Manchester United 11/9/99 F.A Premier LeagueMandatory Credit : Action Images / John SIbleyManchester United new signing Massimo Taibi in action
Massimo Taibi represented eleven different clubs throughout his career, with his longest tenure consisting of five years at Piacenza, which pretty much says it all.
To give credit where it’s due, the Italian goalkeeper’s short-lived Manchester United spell started pretty well in 1999, winning the Man of the Match award upon his debut against Liverpool after a string of impressive saves:
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Unfortunately however, that was soon followed up by this absolute howler against Southampton:
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…which Taibi’s name quickly became synonymous with, as well as the headline ‘The Blind Venetian’.
A 5-0 defeat to Chelsea – marking United’s first defeat of the calendar year in September 1999- convinced Fergie to cut his losses on the £4.5million signing, quickly shipping him back to Serie A.
Having only ever made four appearances for the Red Devils, he cost United a whopping £1.125m per outing.
JUAN SEBASTIAN VERON
Certainly not a misjudgement of quality on Sir Alex Ferguson’s part; despite the nightmares of his Old Trafford tenure, Juan Sebastian Veron will be remembered as one of the finer technical and playmaking talents of his generation, winning the South American Footballer of the Year award in 2008 and 2009 in his mid-thirties.
But the Argentina international could never quite produce the goods in the Premier League, despite scoring some very memorable goals and putting in a number of top-notch Champions League displays:
//www.youtube.com/embed/OiLkkdPdnVI?rel=0
Often forced to influence from a wide midfield role, Veron was a luxury signing at the incredible cost of £28million – which is still the sixth-largest transfer fee in Old Trafford history – that Ferguson never needed to make.
After two campaigns of limited success, Fergie admitted defeat and allowed the former Lazio star to move on – not before calling the British press ‘f**king idiots’ and labelling Veron a ‘f**king great player’ after widespread scrutiny of his performances.
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Bizarrely, considering his incompatibility with the English game, Chelsea thought they could have more luck with Veron and signed him for £15million in 2003.
Seven Premier League appearances and one manager later – Jose Mourinho – the South American was sent on loan to Inter Milan for two seasons as the Blues won back-to-back Premier League titles, then Argentine side Estudiantes, whom he joined permanently when his Stamford Bridge contract expired in 2007.
RALPH MILNE
Whereas the majority of United signings to make this article have gone on to ply their trade with other clubs, albeit at a considerably lesser level, Ralph Milne’s Manchester United career was so poor he completely fell off the footballing landscape after leaving Old Trafford in 1991.
Sir Alex Ferguson claims the midfielder was his worst ever signing, stating at the inaugural dinner of the 2009 LMA Hall of Fame 1,000 club (an evening celebrating the 18 managers that have managed 1,000 domestic matches in England) “I only paid £175,000 and I still get condemned for it.â€
Indeed, despite failing to make the grade during a short-lived stay with Charlton Athletic and dropping two divisions to play for Bristol City in 1988, Milne’s prior exploits at Dundee United – scoring 44 goals in 179 league outings – were enough to convince Fergie that the midfielder could be successful at a top flight club.
He only ever managed 23 league appearances in three years at Old Trafford, quickly overtaken by Danny Wallace and Lee Sharpe in the pecking order, also including a loan spell with West Ham where he failed to feature in the league and made the final appearance of his career in a League Cup fixture against Derby County in January 1990. Here’s a look at Milne’s very, very, brief highlights for the Red Devils:
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Milne remained on the Old Trafford books for another 18 months, before joining Hong Kong club Sing Tao for one year.
He’s since admitted problems with alcoholism and gambling during his time at United however – here’s Milne on MUTV’s ‘When the Floodlights Fade’: