As reported by The Scottish Sun, Leeds United are in the hunt for Hibernian midfielder John McGinn this summer, rivalling Celtic and Rangers for his signature.
What’s the story?
Leeds need a positive summer transfer window if they are to match fans’ ambitions of pushing towards the top end of the Championship table next season.
One name on their radar is John McGinn.
That’s according to The Scottish Sun, who say Leeds are considering making a £2.5m bid for the player, who has a year left on his contract at Easter Road.
The paper reckon that the club will try to hold out for £5m however, with Celtic and Rangers also interested in signing him this summer.
What can he offer?
McGinn has emerged as one of the more impressive midfielders in the Scottish Premiership and has measured up well in contests against both Glasgow giants this season.
An all-rounder whose hard work and determination complements ambitious forward play and strong dribbling ability, he’s the kind of passionate performer that Leeds United fans would appreciate.
Already playing at international level with Scotland, the 23-year-old is destined for bigger things after successful spells at St Mirren and Hibs.
He scored six goals and created eight assists this term, helping Hibs to a top four finish in the top-flight and UEFA Europa League qualification after promotion.
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He’s a player Leeds should definitely pursue this summer if the price is right.
According to reports in The Sun on December 17, Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez is keen to sign Red Bull Salzburg striker Dimitri Oberlin, who is currently on loan with FC Basel, during the January transfer window.
The Magpies have dropped into the relegation zone after only scoring 16 goals in their opening 18 Premier League matches this term, and The Sun says that Benitez believes the 20-year-old can boost his side’s goal threat.
The report adds that while Manchester United have also kept tabs on the Switzerland U21 international as he was in their Champions League group this term, the Tyneside outfit are in pole position to wrap up a deal for the £20m-rated attacker.
Meanwhile, Southampton’s disappointing top flight season continued as they suffered successive defeats to Leicester City and Chelsea that left them just three points above the relegation zone, and Mauricio Pellegrino will be looking at his attacking options considering his team have also been goal-shy – they have netted 17 times in their opening 18 Premier League games.
The Argentine is coming under increased scrutiny from the St Mary’s faithful, and bringing Oberlin to the club could prove to be a shrewd move.
Here are three reasons Southampton must hijack Newcastle’s bid to sign the Swiss forward…
Goals
The 20-year-old is a versatile forward but he has usually played as a centre-forward for Basel this season, and he certainly hasn’t let them down in the goals department.
The Cameroon-born player has scored eight times and provided one assist in 23 appearances in all competitions for the Swiss outfit, with four of those goals coming in the group stages of the Champions League.
With the likes of Manolo Gabbiadini and Shane Long struggling for form and goals, Oberlin would prove to be a welcome addition to the Southampton frontline.
Attributes
Ever since Sadio Mane left for Liverpool in 2016 Southampton have lacked that pace and unpredictability in their attack, but bringing Oberlin to St Mary’s next month would change that.
The 20-year-old is lightning-quick and – like Mane – he is showing that he has an end product at the end of a run or dribble.
Talking of dribbling, according to WhoScored.com the Switzerland U21 international has successfully completed five of the 12 take-ons he attempted in the group stages of the Champions League this season.
While that may not be overly impressive, the forward is still young and his pace and direct running would undoubtedly mean that he is a threat for Premier League defenders if he did sign for Saints.
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Price tag
Soccer Football – Champions League – FC Basel vs Benfica – St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland – September 27, 2017 Basel’s Dimitri Oberlin with coach Raphael Wicky REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
According to reports in The Sun, Oberlin could be available for £20m and considering the potential he has and the big impact he could make in the Premier League – as well as filling a big void in the Southampton side – that could prove to be a bargain.
The fee would break Saints’ club-record, but the striker would fit into their transfer philosophy of being a young player who can develop at St Mary’s and then go on to increase his value, and they would be mad to not try and beat Newcastle to his signature in the New Year.
Do you agree, Southampton fans? Let us know below.
Crystal Palace manager Ian Holloway has dismissed thoughts that the Eagles made pointless signings in the transfer window, as reported by Sky Sports.
Holloway was the busiest Premier League manager in the transfer window but didn’t add two of his new boys in his 25 man squad, leaving them free to leave already.
The loan window for Football League clubs re-opens tomorrow and so Stephen Dobbie and Florian Marange will both leave the south London club despite only singing a few weeks ago.
Holloway didn’t realise that he would be able to bring in the calibre of player that he did in the final few weeks of the transfer window and wouldn’t have signed the other players if he did.
“It is utter madness,” said Holloway.
“Clearly, the rules have been brought in to guard against the top clubs stacking and racking players because they have the finances to do just that.
“But when I signed Dobbie and Marange, I can promise you that I did so in good faith.”
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“I had no idea when we did the deals for Stephen and Florian that we would be able to conduct so much business in the final few days of the window.”
New Manchester City signing Matija Nastasic has expressed his surprise at his move to the Premier League champions.
The Etihad Stadium club tied up a deal on transfer deadline day for around £12million, with Stefan Savic moving to Fiorentina as part of the deal.
The 19-year-old had only spent one season in Italy, and as such has revealed that his big move has come earlier than expected.
“The first I heard of it was 15 to 20 days ago and of course I was surprised,” Nastasic told The Daily Mail.
“I did not expect to transfer to a major club and league such as Manchester City and the Premier League after only a year at Fiorentina.
“Playing for City by definition means we’ll be playing for trophies and I’m sure that City intend to strive to win each and every trophy.
“This is great motivation for me and the main reason for my arrival,” he concluded.
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Nastasic is being touted as the ‘next Nemanja Vidic’ and will provide competition for Joleon Lescott and Vincent Kompany in the centre of City’s defence.
According to Russian reports, Newcastle are one of three clubs lining up a summer swoop for Spartak Moscow winger Quincy Promes.
What’s the story?
The report from Poka Moscow (via Back Page Football), says Newcastle, Tottenham and Roma are all interested in a €25million (£22m) move for Promes.
The speedy winger has grabbed an impressive 21 goals in all competitions this season, and could potentially prefer Newcastle over the other two options in hopes of being the star man rather than a bit part player.
Rafael Benitez is clearly hunting a new threat from the right wing this summer, with players like Promes, Xherdan Shaqiri and Adama Traore all potentially on the move.
Promes would be the most ambitious of the lot, but if the Magpies could pull it off he would completely transform their attack.
Perfect move for the Magpies?
Newcastle fans are absolutely desperate to secure the permanent signing of loan sensation Kenedy, and the Magpies are still in need of a proper goalscorer, but Promes would be an incredible addition regardless of other moves.
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The 26 year-old has been strongly linked with Liverpool in the past, and it’s not hard to see why Jürgen Klopp would be interested in the electric Dutchman.
Valued at €22million (£19.4m) by Transfermarkt, Promes possesses incredible pace, but it’s his end product that really separates him from other pacey wingers.
Promes, who has 4 goals in 25 Netherlands caps, has scored 15 and assisted seven in 25 league starts this season, an incredible output playing for a Spartak team that has been in a state of civil unrest for most of the season.
His impressive output is no surprise when you delve deeper into the numbers though, as the speedster averages 1.7 successful dribbles, 2.9 key passes and 3.8 shots per game in all competitions.
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It is his desire and hunger to keep getting on the ball, to keep being direct and positive, and to quite simply keep making things happen that make him such a threat, and it is this desire that would quickly endear him to the Toon Army.
Some fans may question the chances of beating two Champions League sides to Promes, but Rafael Benitez is undoubtedly of higher pedigree than the other two managers in the mix, which could tilt the scales in Newcastle’s favour.
So, Newcastle fans, would you like a summer swoop for Promes? Let us know by voting in the poll below…
Tottenham have kept themselves relatively busy in the transfer market this summer, spending around £20million on defenders Toby Alderweireld, Kevin Wimmer and Kieran Tripper whilst offloading the likes of Paulinho and Etienne Capoue, but there’s still some work to be done on the inward front.
Indeed, many a Premier League manager would argue no squad is ever truly complete. So ahead of a season in which Spurs fans will be hoping their club hones in on a top four finish after ending last term in fifth place, the Lilywhites roster is still far from perfect.
But fear not Spurs fans, for Football FanCast is here to help. Using our god-given powers of transfer know-how, we’ve listed FIVE potential signings that could leave the north Londoners with a well-rounded, complete squad.
Would you like to see some of these FIVE turn up at White Hart Lane in time for Spurs’ opening Premier League fixture against Manchester United next month?
JAMES MCCARTHY
James McCarthy has already been mooted as a priority target for Tottenham and it’s not hard to see why.
Dynamic energy, enthusiasm and tenacity was the main reason Ryan Mason held down a spot in the Lilywhites starting XI for so long last season and the Ireland international is of a similar mould; never more than a few yards away from the action and seemingly covering every blade of grass twice over the course of 90 minutes.
If there’s one criticism of the 24 year-old, it’s that he doesn’t score enough goals – managing just 26 in 336 appearances throughout his tenures with Hamilton Academical, Wigan, current club Everton and the Irish national team.
But that aside, McCarthy offers an impressive all-round game, blending his renowned athleticism with enough technical quality to feature at the epicentre of two Roberto Martinez sides.
Spurs are attempting to broker a deal that will see Aaron Lennon go the other way; but Martinez has insisted the midfielder isn’t for sale.
JAVIER HERNANDEZ
Although Harry Kane’s role at the spearhead of Tottenham’s attack is cemented for next season, the Lilywhites are in dire need of some better back up for the England international, currently relying on flopped duo Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado.
In terms of strikers with Premier League proven pedigree, they don’t come much better than Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez, who reached double figures in three league campaigns for the Red Devils despite predominantly featuring from the bench.
He’s got the pace to penetrate defences but it best known for his killer instincts inside the box – a real old-fashioned poacher who finishes as comfortably in the air as he does on the ground.
That could make the Mexico international an interesting partner for Kane, with their obvious contrast of styles, and I have little doubt Chicharito would comfortably score around 15 goals per season with enough game-time.
Spurs may have a tougher time than expected convincing the Old Trafford outfit to sell, however. Despite spending last term exiled to Real Madrid and now venturing into the final twelve months of his contract, reports today claim United want to hold onto the 27 year-old for at least another season.
RICKIE LAMBERT
A considerably cheaper and more available alternative to Javier Hernandez comes in the form of ex-Southampton front-man Rickie Lambert.
I know what you’re thinking; the striker is now 33 years of age and has just come to the end of a woeful season at Liverpool, managing just three goals in 36 appearances across all competitions – albeit predominantly reduced to featuring from the bench.
But not long ago the England international was one of the most impressive centre-forwards in the Premier League under Mauricio Pochettino’s direction at St. Mary’s, claiming 28 goals and 15 assists in 75 appearances during his top flight campaigns with the Saints.
Although Tottenham fans might not feel too comfortable with him starting regularly, the former Football Leaguer is still a better option from the bench than Adebayor or Soldado in my opinion, having already proved himself compatible with Pochettino’s philosophy.
Furthermore, having signed him for just £4million and since completely ruined his career, Liverpool will likely let Lambert leave for a pittance this summer – especially after wrapping up a deal for likeminded Aston Villa target man Christian Benteke.
THIAGO MOTTA
Due to their drastic overhaul of players during the last two summers, Tottenham are now left with an exceptionally young squad – which could be made even younger if Aaron Lennon, Roberto Soldado, Moussa Dembele and Emmanuel Adebayor are all offloaded as expected this summer.
Some experience and natural leadership certainly wouldn’t go amiss, at which point I direct you to PSG’s veteran enforcer Thiago Motta.
The 32-year-old is about as proven as it gets, boasting titles in La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1 from with Barcelona, Inter Milan and the Parisians, alongside two Champions League titles and 23 caps for the Italian national team.
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Nabil Bentaleb is currently Mauricio Pochettino’s only real holding option, so in addition to balancing out Spurs’ youthfulness he’d also address a developing gap in their squad.
With his contract set to expire at the end of next season, Motta has already admitted he’s likely to leave the French capital this summer.
VICTOR MOSES
Another target allegedly already on the White Hart Lane radar is Chelsea winger-forward Victor Moses.
The Nigerian international’s intrinsic weakness has always been output, netting just 43 times in 261 career appearances throughout his spells with Crystal Palace, Wigan, Chelsea, Liverpool, Stoke City and the Super Eagles.
But blessed with great power, strength and dribbling ability, the 24 year-old’s contribution to build up play can be phenomenal; on loan with the Potters last season, he averaged 2.2 shots, 1.7 created chances and 3.3 successful dribbles per-match.
Mauricio Pochettino likes his winger-forwards to be dynamic and robust and Moses certainly falls into that category, whilst his all-round work rate is undoubtedly superior to the likes of Erik Lamela and Andros Townsend.
The tabloids claim Spurs have already launched a £7million bid – but Stoke boss Mark Hughes believes Moses could be in line for a surprise role in the Chelsea first team next season.
Tony Pulis admits he does not know if he will still be Stoke boss next season but hopes to remain as manager.
Pulis has come in for criticism from some sections of the Potters faithful over the course of the campaign following a difficult season in which Stoke have been involved in the relegation battle.
The manager insists he wants to remain with the club but Pulis admits he does not yet know whether or not he will still be Stoke boss next season.
“I hope so. I am still enjoying it here,” he told the Sentinel when asked if he was staying as manager.
“Ten years ago I sat down in front of three or four hundred people in the Waddington Suite when I first arrived and said I am very proud to be Stoke City manager… and I’m still proud.”
Despite Stoke’s struggles this year they could finish as high as 10th should they win at Southampton in their final Premier League fixture of the campaign on Sunday.
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If Michael Carrick steps into the breach at centre-back again this weekend, for many, it’ll simply represent another short-term fix to a temporary problem at Manchester United. The crux of supporters worries, it appears, remains transfixed on plugging the hole that Paul Scholes will eventually leave.
But whilst the one-time retiree offers the more pressing issue for Sir Alex Ferguson, it could be that events at the centre of defense that demand an equal amount of concern for those at Old Trafford. Things aren’t necessarily as rosy as they seem.
Manchester United’s current injury crisis at the heart of defense isn’t the first time they’ve encountered such an issue and it definitely won’t be the last time either. From time to time, all teams undergo an excessive shortage in personnel within a certain part of the team, and Fergie’s defensive headache is no different. The loss of Rio Ferdinand, Jonny Evans, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling simultaneously doesn’t constitute the need for a knee-jerk reaction.
And the installment of Michael Carrick at centre-half for the trip to Everton was more a move of necessity than one of particular choice. Carrick has the sort of skillset that suggests he may have got away with doing a Franco Baresi impression at the back for United, although putting it into practice on Monday had a very different outcome indeed. His marking for Marouane Fellaini’s winner was poor but the ex-Tottenham man isn’t a central defender and he shouldn’t be playing here.
Quite whether the touted move of Patrice Evra to the role of emergency centre-half for the Fulham game will pay Fergie any better results is questionable, but these are the cards they’ve been dealt to play. The question is, can anything have been done to prevent it and how likely is it to happen again?
Exhibit A brings us to the case of one Rio Gavin Ferdinand. Esteemed defensive general, 81 England caps and five Premier League titles for Manchester United. As it stands, he constitutes one half of Ferguson’s first choice defensive partnership alongside Nemanja Vidic and when the two are at their zenith, it’s relatively difficult to argue with that notion. Except getting them both playing at their peak isn’t quite such an easy task anymore.
It’s important to note that it’s unfair to judge Vidic’s otherwise impressive fitness record on a one-off cruciate ligament injury. Not all players return the same, but the signs look encouraging for the Serbian so far. But it is Ferdinand who appears to be the more worrying bet. A long standing back problem has already been credited with causing a number of associated niggling problems. Even Sir Alex Ferguson admitted in May that the defender would be unable to cope with the rigors of international football, claiming that: “You play something like a game every four days. Rio Ferdinand couldn’t do that.”
Whilst sitting out a European Championships is one thing, the unrelenting physical nature of the Premier League will ask tougher questions of Ferdinand. The busy Christmas fixture list isn’t a million miles off the sort of schedule tournament football throws up. Is it really good enough that a team looking to challenge for the sort of honours United are, have a first-choice defensive partnership that is bound to the fluctuations of fitness and injury?
Ferdinand’s form last season wasn’t perhaps anywhere near as bad as what some liked to make out, but he started to look far more mortal last season than he has done before for United. A back four is built on consistency and you need to look no further than the sort of paradox that Ledley King brought to the Tottenham Hotspur defence to get a gauge of the issues that comes with a yo-yoing defender.
Whenever King was in the Spurs team, the defensive unit played infinitely better than without him. But the flip-side of this was the next game, or the game after, where a replacement would have to come in to cover for his chronic injury. Asking another centre-half to be prepared to play every other weekend isn’t easy and the consequent lack of game time and consistency, never allowed Spurs to maintain an established back-four. No one is saying that Ferdinand is guaranteed to suffer such a season this term and his injury problems certainly aren’t on the same plateau as what King’s were. But the problems are still relatable.
A lot of hope resides for both Chris Smalling and Phil Jones. But, maintaining either can stay fit long enough; they are going to have to be backed in the United centre of defence sooner rather than later. Both have made a slight array of errors when they’ve been in the team, but that’s all part of the maturing process. The only way that can be eradicated is through long, hard game-time. Being plugged in and out between right-back and centre-back isn’t helping their development either. Young players are versatile and they’re both adept at playing either role but for the good of both the players and the team, a more solid role is surely likely to pay dividends.
Sir Alex Ferguson described Jonny Evans as the best defender in the country back in April but whilst the Ulsterman has come a long way since his now infamous horror show during West Ham’s 4-0 Carling Cup win in 2010, it certainly felt like an excessive compliment to say the least. Ironically, it was his partnership with Ferdinand in the light of Vidic’s absence last season that saw him draw such plaudits from his manager. But it is ultimately Ferdinand whom he must be looking to displace within this United team.
You can make something of an innocent until proven guilty case for Ferdinand this season. It is unfair to pan a player on the premise he will live up to a suspect injury record and that his form will slip away with age. He had a decent season last term and was ultimately part of a centre-half pairing that lost the league title on goal difference.
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But if United want one of their pretenders to Ferdinand’s throne to succeed, they need to throw their weight behind whoever they deem to be the favoured candidate. Ferdinand is still set to be out for a number of weeks. If either the imminently returning Jones or Evans step up the plate alongside Vidic, they shouldn’t be shunted back out the team for when Rio makes his comeback. If they’re holding their own on form alone, than they must stay there.
Only time will tell how United’s back four stands up to the coming challenges the new season will throw at them. Although strong foundations are built on a bedrock of stability in a back four. Whatever the solution may be, it has to be one that sticks.
How do you see the future of Manchester United’s central defence developing? Can Ferdinand go on for longer or is it time for someone else to step up to the plate? Tell me what you’d do on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and tweet me your line-ups.
It has not exactly been the best of seasons for Leeds United, with a total of 57 points from 45 matches leaving them down in 14th position in the Championship table.
The Whites have only won once in the Championship since the end of March, and suffered a 2-1 defeat at Norwich City last time out.
Paul Heckingbottom’s side will be looking to end on a positive note when they welcome Queens Park Rangers on Sunday, although even a victory in that match would not exactly make the fans forget what has been a poor campaign.
A number of the club’s players have taken criticism from the supporters this season, and perhaps none more so than the skipper Liam Cooper.
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The 26-year-old has made 30 appearances in all competitions during the 2017-18 campaign – scoring once in 28 Championship fixtures.
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Cooper’s suitability for the captain’s role has long been called into question, however, and the centre-back has once again faced scathing criticism from his club’s own fans.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
They say emotion is the nemesis of good analysis but I simply can’t contain my feelings towards FIFA’s ongoing corruption scandal, which has so far seen eight officials arrested, five more indicted and four enter guilty pleas as the investigations of the Swiss authorities and FBI continue – not to mention force the draconian Sepp Blatter into a shock resignation just days after his re-election as president of world football’s governing body.
Of course, rumoured corruption in FIFA has been well documented for the best part of two decades and the allegations have gone into overdrive since Qatar were officially awarded the 2022 World Cup five years ago. The FBI’s fraud and laundering investigation started way back in 2011.
But the arrests in Zurich, in which several FIFA officials were whisked from their hotel beds in the early hours of Wednesday 27th of May to face the possibility of extradition to the USA, in combination with the figure of $150million doing the rounds in the press, really put things into perspective.
Because whilst your local football club struggles to afford adequate changing room facilities, whilst grassroots football across the continent dies yet another death, whilst the stadiums of Serie A have been left to crumble as their corroding bricks become ad hoc weapons for the ultras, whilst the global credit crunch leaves La Liga facing the biggest collective debt in their history, whilst 1,200 slave labourers die building stadiums in Qatar, these furtive FIFA fellows have been skimming off the top; stepping over non-league football and dead bodies on the way to the ivory back-scratcher shop.
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It cannot be overstated, exaggerated or expressed too hyperbolically – believe me, I’ve tried – this is truly the most despicable, dishonest and treacherous act in the history of the beautiful game.
Of all football fans across the world, not even 1% will get the chance to work with or for FIFA in some capacity. To everyday people like you and me, it is an incredible honour; the opportunity to positively impact a sport that so many people forge their whole lives around, that creates harmony between divided nations, that binds complete strangers spanning Bristol to Beijing.
Yet Jack Warner, Jeffrey Webb, Aaron Davidson, Costas Takkas, the rest of the 14 men in the FBI’s crosshairs and their merry band of yet-to-be-revealed accomplices have turned working for FIFA and the organisation itself into something detestably sinister. A boys club of back-slappers continually selling out football for their own financial gain.
There’s a sickening irony in the fact it’s football – a phenomena that when reduced to its most basic state is purely two sets of jumpers laid ten feet apart on either side of a patch of grass – they’ve been ripping off; not the tax-payer, not the corporations, not even the consumer. Simply anybody who has a vested interest in the progression of a sport that belongs to everyone, by letting bribes control the direction its now heading in.
Worryingly, logic suggests this is only the tip of the ice-berg. In my opinion, it’s quite clear there’s a corruption culture at the top end of FIFA – not just a few bad apples. Those who have been questioned so far are for crimes the FBI feel capable of proving in a court of law; there are undoubtedly many more squeezing through loopholes and sneaking under the radar to avoid prosecution.
And you have to wonder the true motivation behind Blatter’s resignation. He’s never shown much consideration for the wider footballing public before, as long as his African and Asian voting blocs remain onside, so the mentioning of mandate in his speech yesterday afternoon is a little hard to swallow – he hasn’t had a legitimate, global mandate for years. It’s a final act straight from the Richard Nixon handbook, a bid to remove himself from the equation before any more wrongdoing is unearthed.
So here’s to you, Blatter, Warner and company, the men who committed the biggest and greatest atrocity in footballing history; the men who let greed turn the beautiful game ugly; the men who lead the most popular sport in the world down any route that lined their pockets the most abundantly; the men who happily shared out $150million that could’ve made a huge impact to fans, footballers, clubs and leagues across the globe between themselves.
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If there’s one positive to take from this, it’s the knowledge that FIFA’s politic and practices will be handled with far more scrutiny in the years to come. But the embarrassment of what the organisation has become, the manner in which it’s betrayed the sport it represents, will never quite wash off.