Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has hinted that Yaya Toure may be offered a new deal with the club.
The Ivorian has become a key member of the Citizens’ midfield following his arrival from Barcelona two years ago, with his all-action displays helping the team to their first Premier League crown since 1968.
Toure recently told reporters of his desire to remain with the club for the rest of his career and Mancini responded by suggesting a new deal may be on the table for the midfielder.
“I think so,” He answered when asked by SkySports if a new contract would be offered to the midfielder.
“Because Yaya for us is a very important player and for me, personally, he is one of the best players in Europe.
“In my life, I saw a lot of big players and I think Yaya is part of this.”
The Italian was also positive about his Toure’s recent displays, despite a slight drop in form:
“It is probably because we had many injuries, to many important players like David Silva,
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“If we play David and Samir (Nasri) then Yaya will play better, this is sure.
“But also, when Yaya is not 100 per cent, he is important for us.”
Well what a weekend that was for Coventry City with a new signing and a 5-0 rout at Hartlepool.
Now no Coventry fan in their wildest dreams would have predicted that at the start of the week.
In terms of the new signing well I personally had not heard the name Blair Adams before but a player coming from a Premier League side is nearly always a good sign. He is a left back who is described as being equally capable as playing as a winger. This worried me a little when I first heard it as it is very much defensively that we need improvement in but getting a brief look at him over the weekend and he seems very capable defensively.
I think the way Robins describes him sums it up perfectly in that he suggests he has a bit of nous which for his age and lack of experience is a real bonus. So often this season we have had naive players at the back who have allowed the opponents attackers to get in behind far too easily. He showed us on Saturday that there is clear potential that he is going to be a good addition to this squad and that just maybe defensively we can think of becoming a little more solid.
It is also positive that the lad chose to come to us over other clubs although I obviously don’t know who the other clubs interested were. For all I know it could have been Plymouth Argyle in which case it wouldn’t have been a hard decision for the lad. Still it is another good addition from Robins and adds even more competition ready for the busy Christmas period ahead.
From one positive to another with the unbelievable result we managed to achieve on Saturday. I unfortunately missed the match this weekend as I was working but I remember the moment I found out the result. I went to my locker and took out my phone to find a text from one of my friends telling me Coventry had just won 5-0. Like any Coventry City fan I didn’t believe it until I saw it with my own eyes. I checked once and even double checked just to make sure it was true and even then it still took time to for it truly sink in.
It sounded like it was a great game and I have only heard good things about the performance. The stats of the game also tell the story of a very dominant performance from the Skyblues who not only monopolised possession but also created far more chances than their opponents. I think a personal favourite stat was that the majority of the chances created ended with shots that were on target.
This suggests a change in confidence and belief around the attackers at the club. For such a long time we have had attack minded players who were afraid to shoot at goal because they lacked belief in themselves that they could score. This is looking like it is changing with shots coming in from all areas in the game against Hartlepool and well the score line shows how successful this made us.
It is hard to say what a result like this will do to Coventry going forward. It should in the perfect world act as a catalyst and mean our season now truly starts here. We should take so much confidence from both the result and the performance and the players should now be chomping at the bit to get back out on that field to try and recreate that result and winning feeling every week.
I can’t however help but think it may be a bit of a one off result. The typical Coventry City thing to do would be to go to Colchester and not turn up and end up leaving their having been beaten by 3 or 4 goals.
Positivity is rare when it comes to Coventry City and we often have to clutch at single results and performances in order to have anything to be happy and excited about. I pray that this isn’t going to once again be another one off and that we go to Colchester and put on the same level of performance and come out of there with a positive result.
If we can get another positive set of results over the next five games or so leading into the Christmas period then we give ourselves a real chance of making significant movement up the table. This is often the hardest part of the season to be consistent with games coming thick and fast so if we can be one of the few teams who mange it then its onwards and upwards for the rest of the season and hopefully beyond.
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This currently feels like a pipe dream though and until I witness the performance on Tuesday at Colchester I refrain myself from getting excited at the prospects ahead.
This 5-0 result could be the turning point in what has so far been a disappointing season but I fear that it might just be a positive blip and i am hoping that normal service does not resume against Colchester.
Everton target Guillaume Hoarau is open to a summer move away from Paris Saint-Germain.
The Premier League side have recently been linked with the 28-year-old hit-man, who was once rated as one of the finest emerging talents in French football.
However, a lack of playing time has seen Hoarau’s career stagnate in Paris, and he has revealed that a summer move away from the club is a genuine option:
“My contract expires in June and I want to play week in, week out,” he is quoted by SkySports.
“There are teams interested in me so I will make my decision known very soon.
“For the moment I want to help PSG.”
The Frenchman arrived at the Parc des Princes prior to their takeover by Qatari billionaire Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
With their new found wealth, PSG have drafted in a number of big name stars, such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, which has seen Hoarau’s first-team chances dwindle.
His contract is set to expire at the end of the current campaign, and with a vast squad it appears unlikely that the Ligue 1 side will choose to extend his stay.
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This has alerted Everton boss David Moyes, who is reportedly looking at cost-effective options to strengthen his front line.
Hoarau has made eight appearances at senior international level and is keen to secure regular football in a bid to force himself back into the squad.
Tottenham Hotspur’s William Gallas has disclosed Andre Villas-Boas’ meeting with defenders leading up to their win against Swansea in the Premier League.
AVB met with Spurs defenders to convene a meeting intended to help stop the North London team’s tendency toward allowing late goals, a regular occurrence at White Hart Lane under the helm of the Portuguese.
“We have had a meeting with him [AVB] because we have been conceding late goals and we have to be a little bit more focused, a bit more strong,” said Gallas.
In the last 15 minutes of games Spurs have conceded 10 goals this season, a statistic shared with Premier League strugglers Reading.
Explaining his team’s defensive fragility in the dying minutes of games, Gallas noted that “Sometimes, maybe we are panicking and we have let goals in.”
“So we’ve been working very hard and we have had some meetings to look at the video to see what is good and bad, and against Swansea it was good to keep a clean sheet,” he said.
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Gallas admitted that the Christmas period “is very intense,” and continued by reminding everyone “we have a lot of games and some players are tired. They have already played more than 20 games this season, which is a lot.”
Spurs have the lowest goal difference of the top five teams in the Premier League, letting in a total of 25 goals in 17 games. Their solid 1-0 win against Swansea last weekend has lifted them to 4th spot and level on points with Chelsea who have a game in hand.
Liverpool look set to clinch the signings of both Chelsea forward Daniel Sturridge and Blackpool winger Tom Ince during the January transfer window, but with the vast majority of the club’s transfer budget yet again spent on British players with the overwhelming element of risk behind them, are the club merely repeating the mistakes of the past all over again?
Of course, this is referring to the terrible excesses of the Kenny Dalglish and Damien Comolli era which thought that it was a good idea to spend £71m combined on Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson. So far under Brendan Rodgers, the club have spent £15m on Joe Allen and £10m on Fabio Borini, both of which he has worked with before in the past, while the proposed £12m deal for Sturridge which looks certain to go through and the Ince switch which should come in between £4-6m all smacks of a lack of imagination in the transfer market and not quite the best value around either.
Building the nucleus of your squad around young, determined, homegrown talent is clearly a positive, but it’s when the fees involved start to escalate and inflate to such an extent that any move is negligible in terms of what the player can actually offer that you have to start questioning the motivation behind any such move.
The 23-year-old England international is clearly a talented player capable of playing in multiple roles, so in theory, you are essentially getting two players for the price of one, with his ability to play out wide and through the middle up front. Nevertheless, there’s a reason that Chelsea have been so willing to do business and were again in the summer.
The move has been met with a lukewarm response by most of the club’s fans so far and while Rodgers’ tough stance regarding contractual negotiations and agents fees is a long overdue one but hugely welcome all the same, the fee does seem a little on the steep side. Every Liverpool fan that I’ve talked to regarding Sturridge has said the same three things – he’s a good player, he has something to offer even if there are question marks about his temperament and character, but looks a little expensive, surely they could get a better deal than £12m when you consider the second point?
Personally, Sturridge has always looked like someone in search of a home and when he gets one, playing through the middle, he could be a very dangerous and effective player. Looking at the size of the fee long-term, while it’s not quite as bad as the Comolli-Dalglish signings, it does appear a bit rich for my liking, but with depth required above all else up top and out wide to give a clearly fatigued Raheem Sterling a rest, should the club make over £15m on Andy Carroll in the summer, they come out ahead eventually with a player more suited to their needs. We shall call this version of events ‘Scouse maths’.
Speaking of which, the fee regarding Ince looks likely to be smaller than the official figure quoted for the deal given that the club will essentially be paying themselves 35% of the fee after their sell-on clause becomes null and void, so if it’s pushed up to around £6m, Liverpool will pay approximately £4m and so on. When you stack it up against what Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha would cost at the moment, or what Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain cost in the past, then it certainly looks a very appealing piece of business and value for money.
However, while Barcelona have become expensive practitioners of this sort of transfer policy, by which you buy back youth-team players from elsewhere at double the cost, it does point to a certain lack of creativity in terms of scouting. Are the Sturridge and Ince deals interlinked? Can the club only afford Sturridge if they move for someone like Ince who they can get a sizeable discount on? If that’s the case, then it’s another question mark about pursuing the Chelsea man over someone like, say, Newcastle’s Demba Ba, a Premier League proven striker available for just £7m.
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It was rumoured that Rodgers was only going to be handed a transfer kitty in the region of £10m in January earlier in the campaign, but that looks a little frugal now and wide of the mark. With the top half of the table so open still, there are plenty of opportunities for upwards movement and FSG seem to be finally putting their money where their mouth is after the dithering left the club woefully short on deadline day.
Moreover, there has been tangible progress in recent months as the players have adapted to their new manager’s methods, and in order for this ‘project’ to be successful it requires a certain amount of faith, which needs to be backed up with money. The likely deals to bring Sturridge and Ince to Anfield in terms of style and substance looks sound ones, but you do have to wonder what the scouting department at Liverpool really do for 10 months of the year if this was the best that they could come up with for a combined £18m; they will fill gaps in the squad, there’s no doubt about that, but the sheer lack of ingenuity on show has become a worrying, long-term trend.
Four top football club mascots are facing a weighty challenge to prove their match fitness to League Cup sponsors Capital One, after arriving for an advertising video shoot showing the side effects of an over-indulgent Christmas period.
Despite a hectic Christmas schedule that saw the mascots of semi-finalists Chelsea, Swansea City, Aston Villa and Bradford City run out no fewer than 12 times over the festive football spell, the League Cup sponsors Capital One were alarmed to see the mascots looking even cuddlier than normal, just two months away from the showpiece Capital One Cup Final on February 24th.
Cyril the Swan (Swansea City), Hercules the Lion (Aston Villa), Stamford the Lion (Chelsea) and Billy the Bantam (Bradford City) have all shot to fame as the stars of a series of football video challenges from Capital One. But now the likes of Cyril the Swan is getting himself in a flap, after being asked to lose the festive flab in line with his new higher profile.
The mascots are facing a rigorous training regime after being teamed up with personal trainer to the stars Charlotte Ord, who has taken on the task ahead of this week’s Capital One Cup Semi Finals. The larger than life characters have been given strict instructions to watch their food intake, as well as perfecting a number of fitness exercises including practice lifts of the Capital One Cup trophy.
The mascots are also keeping themselves fit by taking part in a number of video challenges on behalf of competition sponsors Capital One, pitting themselves against one another to settle football fan debate.
Charlotte Ord, ‘Personal Trainer of the Year 2012’ said: “January is a time of year when people feel a bit sluggish after a heavy Christmas, and unfortunately our club mascots are no different. I’ve created a plan that will ensure the finalists are flying down Wembley Way next month for the Capital One Cup Final.”
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Michael Woodburn, Chief Marketing Officer at Capital One, said: “Now the club mascots are big video stars, we need to make sure that they are fit and healthy for the job at hand. With their clubs also standing just two games from Wembley in the Capital One Cup Final, one of these will be able to get their hands on the trophy for real come February.”
To view the Mascot Challenge videos and join the debate go to www.facebook.com/CapitalOneUK
Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United are set to battle Juventus in the race for Barcelona star Alexis Sanchez, according to reports from talkSPORT.
The Premier League trio were all interested in the Chilean attacker during his spell in Serie A with Udinese, but were unable to compete with Barca, who tied up a £22m deal for his signature in 2011.
However, despite impressing in his opening campaign with the Spanish giants, Sanchez has struggled this term, netting only four goals, with Cesc Fabregas, Pedro and Lionel Messi enjoying the lion’s share of game time in attacking positions.
This has led to speculation that he will be allowed to leave the Catalans this summer, news which has sparked interest from a number of top European sides.
Liverpool were linked with a loan move for the South American ace during January, but Barca were keen to keep hold of him.
The Reds will unlikely be able to compete with City, United and Chelsea for a permanent deal, however they will face strong opposition in the shape of Juve.
The Italian champions are believed to be willing to spend big to snap up Sanchez after agreeing a deal to take Fernando Llorente to Turin at the end of the season.
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But, the English clubs will be able to match their offer, which could spark an intense battle for his signature.
AC Milan midfielder Stephan El Shaarawy has ruled out the chance of him leaving Italy in the summer no matter who came in for him, as reported by Sky Sports.
The Italian international has made plenty of headlines both in his native country and in England this season after his sparkling displays in both Serie A and the Champions League.
The 20-year-old is considered one of the hottest young prospects in Europe and the majority of major clubs are interested in him including Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City.
Mario Balotelli’s arrival in Milan caused a stir all over Europe and many Italian pundits have claimed that the partnership between Balotelli and El Shaaraway has been non-existent since January.
Rumours were circulating that El Shaaraway and Balotelli wouldn’t be able to play together, but the talented playmaker as dismissed that.
“There’s no truth in the criticism that Balotelli’s arrival has hurt my form. We understand each other perfectly and have done good things in each game we have played together,” El Shaarawy told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
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“I am happy to play at AC Milan and any suitor, even from abroad, doesn’t interest me.”
Paraguayan striker Roque Santa Cruz is set to finally end his Manchester City hell this summer by leaving the club on a free transfer, according to the Express.
Santa Cruz is set to return to his native South America to join Brazilian club Botafogo as his contract at the Etihad finally comes to an end.
The 31 year old striker arrived at City for a whopping £18million in 2009 from Blackburn Rovers but just 24 appearances and around £16million in wages later; he is set to leave the big spending club Premier League champions.
Santa Cruz must be seen as one of the biggest financial disasters in Premier League history and his once promising career has stuttered massively.
The Paraguayan has been on loan in Spain for the past few seasons, firstly with Real Betis and this season with Malaga who have enjoyed success in La Liga and the Champions League.
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It has been a week that no true football fan will ever forget as Sir Alex Ferguson finally decided it was time to bring to an end his illustrious career as manager of Manchester United.
Manchester United will always be Sir Alex Ferguson’s creation. He made the club become the powerhouse in world football it is today. He did this by making the club itself the most important aspect and every club wanting success should learn from this. He made sure that no player was bigger than the club, that every individual fan was as important as anyone else and even that the club came before him and what he often wanted.
His ability to manage players and staff, to understand the game to the smallest of details and to understand what it takes to make a football club successful is why he has been as successful as he has. Sir Alex’s time at United is probably the only example of a manager being allowed almost complete control to make decisions which were in the interests of the club.
So many clubs have the rule over their managers and with Mancini now gone from United’s bitter rivals City it looks once again that united will remain an exception to the rest of the football world who seem fit to hire and sack new managers on a whim.
The man expected to replace Mancini offers the perfect example of a manager who in the past has be shown no support from the club that appointed him. Manuel Pellegrini had a brief spell as manager of the iconic club that is Real Madrid. I’m sure he went their full of hope that he could achieve great things and with a club like Madrid there is no reason to think otherwise.
It was apparent very quickly this wasn’t going to be the case though with the owner of Madrid telling Pellegrini not to play the likes of Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben who were arguably Madrid’s best players at the time. Pellegrini rightly ignored him but in turn knew by doing so that his reign at the club would be short lived and so it turned out.
My point here though is that we may never see what Sir Alex has created at united again. Players and owners alike go to that club and learn from and respect the man in charge. No other club is like this instead we see extravagant owners and player power take rule over any manager and this is true of so many clubs.
Sir Alex is not just a great manager he is a true gentleman of the game and has touched every aspect of football in his time as manager of United. Coventry City Football club is no exception and the club has many associations with the legend himself.
Of course there has been meetings between the two clubs ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous. City’s record against United isn’t exactly great but then again very few clubs is. Only two wins since the beginning of the premier league in 1992 doesn’t make for a great read but they were victories to savour.
Highfield Road, December 1997 brought about city’s first victory in 18 attempts since the beginning of the premier league in 1992. Two Coventry City legends if like me you were growing up in the 90’s gave city fans a day to remember. The game looked lost as City trailed 2-1 with around 5 minutes to play but then a Dion Dublin penalty levelled it for City. A point would have been more than enough for every city fan but Darren Huckerby produced one of the most memorable goals in city’s recent history. It was the mazy dribble to leave Gary Neville sprawled on the floor followed by the coolest of finishes to send Highfield Road into pandemonium and left Alex Ferguson less than impressed.
A year before this great game saw a sad day and a horrific incident take place in a match between the two sides. It was to be the last ever match for one Coventry City player who suffered one of the most horrific injuries in the history of the premier league. David Busst’s extensive leg break ultimately ended his playing career.
A testimonial for Busst took place and this was to bring about another example of the truly great man that Sir Alex is. He didn’t just bring his young guns with him he brought his full squad of players and gave the game the mark of respect which we have all come to expect from him.
City’s most recent meeting with united surprisingly brought about a win for the Skyblues. A trip to old Trafford in the 3rd round of the carling cup saw city come out 2-0 winners thanks to a small, pacey frontman who goes by the name of Michael Mifsud.
Yes Sir Alex sent his young guns out but he would of expected them to go out and still beat what was let’s be honest not a great Coventry side. United did have the likes of Nani, Anderson, Carrick and even Gerrard Pique in the side so it was far from being a weak side and any victory at old Trafford is something worth celebrating. It is and will continue to be one of the few highs that us Coventry fans have had in recent times and one thing that is for certain is that our victory left Sir Alex chewing more vigorously than usual as he had plenty to reflect upon.
We have not just came up against Sir Alex though as we have had little influences from him in many different forms with Ex managers being his former players, our current manager being given rave reviews and young academy graduates being loaned to us to give us a helping hand.
Ex managers include the likes of Gordon Strachan and more recently Mark Robins who were both successful with the club in their own ways. Ex-players like goalkeeper Luke Steele and midfielder Oliver Norwood had a real impact at the club. It was nice to know that Sir Alex trusted our club to look after and help nurture some of his young talent.
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Sir Alex is a man who has affected everyone in the world of football and he will go down in football’s history books not only as the best manger the world has ever known and probably will ever know but as a true gentleman of the footballing world.
Thank you Sir Alex for everything you have done for the beautiful game