As one of Serie A’s more impressive midfielders right now, Radja Nainggolan was always likely to attract some attention this month. And sure enough, Arsenal are among a host of clubs, including Liverpool, chasing the Belgian ace ahead of a potential move before the looming transfer deadline passes.
The Roma man is understood to be valued at around £26m, with both Roma and Cagliari – who own a share of his rights – demanding £13m to part with the tenacious enforcer. So, would Arsenal make a move for the 26-year-old? We think so, and here are FIVE reasons why…
Better than Wenger’s current options
Although the numbers are slightly hampered by Francis Coquelin’s lack of game time – he’s only been back at Arsenal since mid January – Nainggolan outshines the Gunners’ current crop of players. In terms of duels won and tackles made per 90 minutes, the Belgian tops the records of Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta and is not too far adrift of Coquelin, despite playing over three times the amount of minutes as the Frenchman in league action this term.
Where Nainggolan is undisputed king, though, is going forward. The Roma man registers more shots, goals, key pass and chances created-per-game, showing his abilities heading up the pitch are as good as back down it.
In his prime
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Coquelin is young at 23, while Arteta, 32, and Flamini, 30, are edging towards the closing stages of their careers. Nainggolan, however, is, at 26, very much in the peak years for a midfielder. This is reflected by his gutsy showings and tireless playing style, with the ‘mohawked’ enforcer clearly in prime physical condition.
Arsenal need someone for the ‘here and now’ as they look to get their season back on track, with their top four hopes already in the balance after a stuttering start to the season.
Willing to do the dirty work
Football – Manchester City v AS Roma – UEFA Champions League Group Stage Matchday Two Group E – Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England – 14/15 – 30/9/14 Radja Nainggolan – AS Roma Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Carl RecineEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
Arsenal have been famed for their slick playing style for some time. Easy on the eye and entertaining, when the Gunners are on form, they’re irresistible. Yet, if clever opposition cut their creative influences out of the game and press well, Wenger’s sides tend to struggle. A soft underbelly contributes to this, with few Emirates Stadium stars in recent seasons possessing the ‘backbone’ to go with their technical skills.
Nainggolan, however, has this fight and fire in his game. His willingness to get stuck in could help the Gunners to move away from their lightweight tag.
The sort of player Arsenal lack
//www.youtube.com/embed/U6lGIOZ3Pa4
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As mentioned before, Arsenal lack a ‘battler’ in the middle of the park. Although impressive of late, Coquelin is not yet proven at the highest level – the fact Wenger allowed him to go to Charlton on loan earlier this season suggests he may have some doubts about his ability at the top level – while Arteta is known more for his passing than his ability to destroy. Flamini, however, is more willing to get stuck in, yet the criticism he’s faced from Gooners – one has to merely glance at Twitter on a match day to see that – hints that he’s not up to the job.
Statement of intent
Although signing a player just to prove a point – the addition of Mesut Ozil in 2013 appeared to have a whiff of that about it – is now always wise, getting Nainggolan in now as the Gunners look to kick on from their recent resurgence and break back into the top four could send out a message to their rivals. Addressing a major weakness at a critical point of the season would surely strike fear into the hearts of Manchester United, Liverpool and Spurs – who are yet to make a notable addition this month.
Former Chelsea defender Graeme Le Saux has praised Frank Lampard as Chelsea’s best ever player in an exclusive interview with FootballFanCast.
Le Saux is now a club ambassador at Stamford Bridge and so works closely with everyone at the behind the scenes and his opinion on the Blues and England midfielder could not be higher.
The former England left back played with Lampard in his time in West London and admitted he had doubts about him before he arrived in 2001.
“In terms of hitting a consistent level and along with his phenomenal goalscoring record, I would say he could be Chelsea’s best ever,” Le Saux said.
“I was at the club when he arrived from West Ham and it was a pretty huge fee at the time.
“Before the move he hadn’t really proved himself at that stage, but a lot of things struck me from day one and you could see he would go on to be a great.
“His determination, work rate, fitness were all superb and he always tried to work on his weaker areas after training that has reaped it’s rewards now.
“Because Frank was so good for so long I think people just took it for granted.”
It appears that Lampard has been told that he will be leaving Stamford Bridge this summer when his current contract expires.
The 34-year-old has expressed his desire to stay at his beloved Chelsea but the hierarchy and owner seem adamant that he is to leave.
Former Blues star Le Saux has claimed that the deal may not be dead although neither party should be blamed if a new contract cannot be organised.
“The professional part of the game is business and I think both Frank’s party and the club will have had discussions about it,” he said.
“It is just whether they can come to an agreement for him to stay or for him to leave.
“Having been through a similar thing on a smaller scale when I was coming to the end of my career, you have to look at your own personal life not just your footballing life.
“Frank has big decisions to make on many different levels and equally the club have to be consistent with their approach.
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“Frank has been an unbelievable servant to the club, both on and off the pitch, and if an agreement can’t be made then I don’t think either party can be blamed.
“He is an iconic player at the club and I don’t doubt he will make a decision with he and his family in mind.”
2013 UEFA Women’s Champions League final ambassador Faye White joined Chelsea FC ambassador Graeme Le Saux at Stamford Bridge this week to launch the tickets going on sale.
Tickets for the 2013 UEFA Women’s Champions League final, to be played on Thursday 23 May at Stamford Bridge, for more information please visit www.chelseafc.com/uefawomensfinal.
At the beginning of the season many would have tipped Manchester United to be challenging for the Premier League title, but they failed to keep up with Manchester City’s pace.
Pep Guardiola’s side are a mammoth 16 points ahead of their neighbours and could potentially secure the title with a win over United at the Etihad Stadium in two games’ time.
For United, expectations have not been met and as a result, manager Jose Mourinho has come under fire from supporters.
A major disappointment was the club’s exit from the Champions League as they were ousted across two legs by Sevilla in the last-16 stage.
Since then, Mourinho has unleashed a number of outbursts in front of the media, and once again, left-back Luke Shaw has been at the centre of his criticism.
The club’s only chance of silverware this season is to win the FA Cup, and they will take on Tottenham Hotspur for a place in the final.
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Former United captain Gary Neville has discussed the situation surrounding the Red Devils, and even though he thinks that winning the FA Cup would be positive for the club, he has claimed that they should be achieving much more.
In his Class of ’92 Diary for Sky Sports, Neville said:
“The FA Cup will really help the club this season. If you’d have asked me at the start of the season whether second place and the FA Cup would be a successful season I would have said no, because the league had to be the priority. However, now looking at where they are at, it would absolutely be a progression from previous seasons, but ultimately be below where it needs to be.”
Louis van Gaal has led Manchester United back into the top four of the Premier League after a noticeable absence under David Moyes.
The Dutchman’s start to managerial life in England was not as smooth as the former Netherlands manager would have hoped for. They didn’t pick up a win until mid-September when United overhauled Queens Park Rangers at Old Trafford by four goals to nil. The lowest point for van Gaal has to be either the 4-0 League Cup thrashing United suffered at the hands of League One side MK Dons or the 5-3 defeat to bottom club Leicester City back in September.
Despite the manager experiencing a slightly rocky beginning, with many stating that his start was no better than Moyes’, he has now put a run of results together and United look like a force once again. His appeal for the media to judge him after three months appears to be an accurate one as United are slowly starting to turn a corner. Their 3-0 victory against Liverpool on Sunday was their sixth Premier League victory in a row. They have scored 13 goals on that run and have only let in three since their 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on the 8th November.
One of the most fundamental factors behind United’s success is that they are starting to look more like a team again. This is mainly due to the fact that the injury list is slowly starting to shorten. Earlier in the season, the defence had to be constantly reshuffled and the likes of Paddy McNair and Tyler Blackett were thrown into the starting line-up despite having hardly any experience at Premier League level. The younger players showed signs of inexperience but did impress overall, showing LvG that his willingness to have faith in the younger players at the club was a shrewd move.
Under Van Gaal’s leadership, David De Gea has really announced himself as one of the best goalkeepers in European football at the moment. His performance against Liverpool was absolutely outstanding and a wide range of world class saves across the season so far has rescued points for United. A talk of a new deal worth around £35million may sound like a lot of money but for a goalkeeper of that class, it’s more than worth it. The goalkeeper must also be praised for how he has inspired confidence in the defence in front of him. The influence a good stopper makes on the back four can separate the best from the rest and De Gea is certainly proving that this season.
As well as the defensive side to United’s game improving, things are also starting to click in an attacking sense. Robin van Persie is now in amongst the goals. He looked dejected at the start of the season, probably due to the hysteria that surrounded Radamel Falcao’s arrival at Old Trafford. Although the Dutch striker took a while to get going, he has now scored four goals in four Premier League games. The likes of Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata have also been impressive in recent weeks and the towering Marouane Fellaini has shown United fans that he has something to offer in the middle of the park. The fans have also allowed the team to relax and perform well.
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There is optimism buzzing around Old Trafford these days compared to the nervous vacuum that surrounded the pitch under David Moyes. If United can end 2014 with three wins against Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, van Gaal’s team will be bursting with confidence going into the New Year. With the possibility of further reinforcements in January, the outlook at Old Trafford is suddenly becoming a lot brighter – and that’s down to the Dutchman’s stern, yet effective managerial approach.
QPR have had a second bid for Peter Odemwingie rejected by West Brom with the striker now set to face disciplinary action following an online outburst, the Telegraph reports.
The Nigerian international illustrated his wish to leave the Hawthorns on Friday by handing in a transfer request as he looked to force through a move to the club’s Premier League rivals.
Albion quickly rebuffed his demands leading to the 31-year-old to vent his frustration at the club via his Twitter account, for which he now faces heavy punishment.
West Brom’s acting sporting and technical director Richard Garlick revealed Rangers had made a second approach for Odemwingie, an improvement on the £2million offered at the start of January, but is adamant no one will be leaving the club before the transfer window closes on Thursday
“QPR have made a second, improved offer for Peter, which we have turned down,” he said.
“As we have repeatedly stated, we have no need or desire to sell our core players.”
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Garlick also refused to disclose how the Baggies would reprimand the striker for his comments over the weekend, saying: “Since we turned down Peter’s transfer request, he has made his position clear in a statement to the media and via his personal Twitter account.
“This matter will be dealt with internally.”
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The Arsenal fans have been drowning their sorrows in the Transfer Tavern in recent weeks due to the shambolic performances of their side across all-competitions, and plenty of them have called for the departure of Shkodran Mustafi as a result.
The vast majority of Arsenal supporters have predictably and justifiably used Arsene Wenger as a scapegoat for their side’s woes in recent weeks during a particularly dark spell for the club. Arsenal are no strangers to humiliation and periods of crisis, but the one they have experienced of late suggests they have fallen well below the standard that is typically expected of them.
Although it’s a worrying time for Arsenal Football Club, the club should not panic in the transfer market next summer with regards to both potential incoming and outgoing transfers. There is reason to believe that a change in management could instigate a dramatic upturn in the form of some of Arsenal’s underperforming outfield players, such as Shkodran Mustafi who has been particularly lacklustre this season.
Despite his poor form for the club, the German international has remained an ever-present in Arsenal’s first-team, partly due to the lack of competition for places in his position. If Arsenal want to halt their dramatic decline and begin an improvement which can enable them to become a top-four club once again, they will need to sign at least one quality central defender to challenge Mustafi for his first-team place.
One man who should certainly be on Arsenal’s radar is Burnley’s James Tarkowski (valued at £5.4 million by Transfermarkt), as his performances for Sean Dyche’s high-flying side this season suggest he could be ready to make another step up in his rapidly rising career. Tarkowski has been mightily impressive at the heart of Burnley’s resolute defensive unit this season, and his performances are set to earn him a deserved call-up to the England squad this month according to The Daily Telegraph.
Arsenal are suffering something of an identity crisis at the moment, with many supporters beginning to question whether the long-held notion that their side play attractive football still commands any credibility, but despite this, the club should be enticed by Tarkowski due to his ball-playing ability – as well as his defensive credentials.
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Burnley are unlikely to be willing to sell one of their prize assets next summer so it’s unlikely he’ll come cheap, but he should still represent decent value for money considering he has proven Premier League experience, so Arsenal should do everything they can to sign a player who could potentially replace Mustafi in the first-team next season.
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’.
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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:
//www.youtube.com/embed/0dtXDk3HchA?rel=0
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:
//www.youtube.com/embed/sHyeRiIEK0M?rel=0
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:
//www.youtube.com/embed/H8GRbFaMYiA?rel=0
Unfortunately however, that was soon followed up by this absolute howler against Southampton:
//www.youtube.com/embed/dMpjRfOmTjM?rel=0
…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:
//www.youtube.com/embed/-ydWF2wDI98?rel=0
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’:
Liverpool legend Kevin Keegan has said that the best is yet to come from the clubs leading scorer this season, Luis Suarez, Liverpool Echo reports.
The Uruguayan striker has enjoyed an excellent goal scoring season so far, already surpassing his 17 goal tally in all competitions for the whole of the last campaign, after scoring twice in his sides 3-0 victory over Sunderland on Wednesday.
However Anfield legend Kevin Keegan believes that the 25-year-old has the potential to get even better as he continues to mature as a player, likening his progress to that of club icon Kenny Dalglish at a similar age.
“Suarez is still only 25, two years younger than when Kenny Dalglish joined the club,” said Keegan.
“And so, to put it in football parlance, Suarez has not reached his peak yet.”
“Most players peak at 27 and what he will learn in the next three years is the art of goal-scoring and he will become more clinical.”
“Both myself and Kenny left Liverpool as better goalscorers.”
Suarez has often had to plough a bit of a lone furrow up front for Brendan Rodgers side this season, scoring 15 of his sides 34 league goals so far while also providing assists for five of the other goals.
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Rodgers has moved quickly in the winter window to bring in support for the Uruguayan in the shape of Daniel Sturridge, while hoping Suarez can continue his fantastic form from the first half of the season.
After a humbling defeat at the Riverside on Friday, Leeds fans have been reacting to one amazing defensive statistic – and it’s not amazing in a good way.
Paul Heckingbottom’s side were completely outplayed by Middlesbrough on Friday, and the win over Brentford last weekend is now the only win in United’s last 11 league games.
There are plenty of problems with the side at the moment, but the fact that they have managed just three clean sheets in their last 12 league matches is quite simply a recipe for disaster.
Leeds are now 12th, eight points off the playoff places and with a goal difference of +1. This is due in no small part to one incredible defensive statistic.
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The defensive troubles have to be attributed to the club’s poor summer transfer window, losing players like Rob Green and Kyle Bartley and replacing them with inferior players.
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Leeds fans are making no bones about where the blame lies for these decisions, and here are some of the best twitter reactions…
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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